Wine and Water
by NCISgirl1527
Summary: It starts in celebration but what should be a happy time turns into a race against time and across boarders to save those that they love. Sequel to 1 Part Vinegar, 2 Parts Olive Oil, 1 Half Tsp Salt. Jibbs, Tiva, McAbby, and Kate/Ethan OC
1. The Wedding

_**And here as promise is the sequal to "1 Part Vinegar, 2 Part Olive Oil, 1 Half tsp Salt" It makes more sense if you have read that one but you can work it out if you didn't. Either way I hope it lives up to your expectations.  
Disclaimer: Ethan is and the rest aren't  
Spoilers: I don't know…**_

"Oh My Gosh!" Abby said bounding into the room. "You look beautiful!"

"Thanks," Kate said a little modestly.

"Honestly you do," Abby said happily sitting on the bed and looking at her best friend. "Turn around in a circle so I can see."

Kate obliged. Her wedding dress was white. It had a tightly fitted strapless top, which transitioned smoothly in to a flowing bottom. It had a black bow tied around the waist and everything had a satiny appearance. Kate's has was washed and brushed but pasted that it was just down. The affect was one of simplicity yet beauty.

At that moment someone knocked on the door. "Come in," Kate called.

Jenny and Ziva walked into the room. They were both wearing matching bridesmaid's dresses. These dresses were almost exactly the opposite of Kate's. They were simple black with white trim at the top and bottom and white spaghetti straps. The dresses had a black belt the edges of which were white so it showed up against the dress.

"Hey Abby," Jenny told the other woman, "You should probably get dress."

"Alright," Abby replied cheerfully taking the bag that Jenny offered and walking into the adjoining bathroom.

"Why are the bridesmaid's dresses black?" Ziva asked looking down at her own, "I thought that wedding's were supposed to be white."

"Think about that question for a moment and then remember who my wedding planner was," Kate told her gingerly sitting down on the bed, which Abby had recently vacated.

"Oh, right," Ziva said sitting down next to Kate.

"Why did you let Abby be your wedding planner by the way?" Jenny asked.

"Because she is my best friend and she wanted to," Kate said shrugging.

"She did a really good job," Jenny commented.

"I like it," Abby said coming out of the bathroom. Her pigtails bouncing as she walked.

"Are we ready to go?" Jenny asked.

"I think we are," Kate said looking to Ziva, "actually Jenny, Abbs could I have a minute with Ziva?"

"Sure," Jenny said leading Abby out of the room and closing the door behind her.

"Okay Ziva," Kate said hesitantly, "I should have asked you about this earlier but are you okay with me marring your brother?"

"Of course I am," Ziva said looking at Kate, "You and Ethan are perfect for each other. You are the only woman I have ever seen him with voluntarily as opposed as to being on a mission."

"Thank you," Kate told Ziva, "Thank you."

"Anytime," Ziva told Kate, "You ready to do this?"

"More than ever," Kate said smiling as the walked out of the room.

AT THE CHUCH

Gibbs was waiting at the doors of the church when they got there. He made his way down the steps and opened the car door. He helped Abby and Ziva out of the car. Then he offered Jenny his hand and she took it. He helped her out of the car, kissing her quickly on the check before turning to help Kate out of the car. Once Kate was out he looked at her.

"You look great," he told her squeezing her hand.

"Thank you," she told him, "and thank you for doing this." Early in the wedding preparations Kate had asked Gibbs if he would be the one to walk her down the isle. Both because she had always looked up to him as a father figure and because her own father (as well as her mother) had died while she was in Italy.

"Anything for my team," Gibbs told her.

"Let's go in," Kate told him and he nodded helping her up the steps to the church.

Once inside the church Kate could see the rest of the team through the window. They were all standing on the small set of step that led up to the alter. Ethan was standing in front of the preacher. Abby, her maid of honor, and Tony, Ethan's best man, were standing a step below Ethan and a little farther back. Ziva and Jenny were standing next to each other a on the step below Abby. Tim was standing below Tony. Kate could also she Paula Cassidy sitting in the front row with Ducky.

As the music started playing Gibbs offered Kate his had and she took it smiling. The doors opened and they started to walk down the isle. Gibbs couldn't help but feel that his own daughter was getting married. Gibbs had thought of the members of the team as his family for a long time, and Kate was like a daughter to him.

Kate caught Ethan's eye as she walked down to the isle and he smiled at her. She also caught Tony's eye. They had been friends for five year (if you count the three years that they were apart) and she was glad he could be part of her wedding. Tony winked at her. Tim also gave her a small nod.

It was amazing to Kate that nearly three years ago she could have lost all this forever, and six months ago she almost lost it again. On the other hand, if she had not almost been killed three years ago, she and Ethan would never have met and Ziva and Tony would not have met either. Two happy ending would have been lost forever. Three years in Italy seem a fair price to pay for four people's future.

Gibbs and Kate reach the front of the church and Gibbs squeezed her hand again before handing it carefully to Ethan. Gibbs gave Ethan a look that said, 'take care of her' and he responded with a nod meaning that he would.

Kate and Ethan looked into each other's eyes for a long moment before turning to the preacher.

"Do you Ethan Caleb David, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife in good times or in bad as long as you both shall live?" the preacher asked.

"I do," Ethan said squeezing Kate's hand.

"Do you Caitlin Margaret Todd, take this man to be your lawfully wedded wife in good times or in bad as long as you both shall life?" the preacher asked.

"I do," Kate replied squeezing Ethan's hand back.

"I pronounce you man and wife," the preacher told the crowd. Ethan pulled Kate into his arms and they kissed, gently but passionately, for the first time as a married couple.

_**Aww…Kate and Ethan are married. Now I promise you that there will be some plot but I need a couple of chapters to get there. Please review (it is my birthday.)**_


	2. The Wedding Reception

_**Chapter 2. I know it has been a little under a month since I posted the last chapter and I am sorry. My language arts teacher is slamming us with homework and I am working on three active stories right now. So…I do my best. I hope you like this chapter. I point out that I have never been to a wedding or reception so if something is off that is probably why. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Ethan is…I do not believe that the rest are…let me check…no…darn…**_

_**Spoilers: Grace Period, Mind Games, Twilight, Minimum Security.**_

_**Note: I am kind of rewriting Grace Period a little to suit my purposes so just go with it.**_

Ethan and Kate made their way out to the church and down the steps hand in hand. Then, at the bottom of the steps, Kate stopped walking and nodded to Abby. "She is going to throw the flowers," Abby shrieked.

Many of the women in attendance walked forward to get a better shot at catching the flowers, and Ziva walked over to Abby. "What is she doing?" Ziva asked.

"She is throwing a bouquet of flowers and whoever catches it will be married next," Abby explained.

"That is silly," Ziva replied.

"Can't do any harm," Abby pointed out and Ziva shrugged as the both moved closer.

"One…Two…Three…" Kate said as she threw the flowers over her head. They soared over the head most of the attending women and landed straight in Jenny's arms.

Jenny, who had been talking to Gibbs and not ever remotely paying attention to what Kate was doing, was shocked as she looked down at the flowers. "What…" Jenny asked.

"You caught the bouquet," Paula, who had been standing next to Jenny, explained.

"You are going to be married next," Abby shrieked.

"Who catches the flowers does not actually effect who get married," Jenny reminded them glancing at Gibbs. He did not noticed but the three other women did.

"Now if only you believed that," Ziva said quietly.

"I do believe that," Jenny replied.

"No, you're right," Ziva said, "You do believe that you just wish it wasn't true."

"Look," Paula said, "Kate's leaving."

The other three women looked up to see Kate and Ethan leaning out of the back of their limo, which Jenny had provided for them. "Have fun!" Abby yelled as the Paula, Jenny, and Ziva waved madly. Kate and Ethan all laughed and waved as the limo disappeared the corner and was gone.

"So what now?" Paula asked the others.

"Um…I think there's a reception," Abby suggested.

"Aren't the bride and groom supposed to attend those?" Ziva asked.

"They couldn't," Jenny pointed out, "their flight is in about an hour."

THE WEDDING RECEPTION

"So where exactly did Kate and Ethan choose for their honeymoon?" Paula asked.

"London," Abby replied, "kind of weird but…"

"It's not weird," Jenny said walking over to them, "Ethan gave Kate almost total control to choose what she wanted."

"That's sweet," Abby said and Paula nodded.

"Kate knew she wanted to go somewhere is Europe," Jenny continued, "and knew that she did not want to go back to Italy anytime in the near future. She pretty much had it down to either Paris or London."

"Why choose London over Paris?" Paula asked.

"It was a favor to me," Jenny replied.

"How is choosing London a favor to you?" Paula asked.

"It isn't," Abby realized, "Not choosing Paris was the favor."

Before they could question Jenny further Gibbs came over. "May I have this dance?" he asked Jenny with a slight bow.

"Of course," Jenny replied smiling at the other two as Gibbs led her out onto the dance floor. The song currently playing was rather slow and as they danced Gibbs wrapped his arms around Jenny's waist. Jenny linked her arms behind Gibbs neck. She had never thought that after Paris Gibbs would care about her, but he did.

Tony and Ziva were already dancing when McGee came over to Abby and Paula. The three stood watching the two couple's move across the dance floor. Suddenly McGee turned to Abby. "Dance," he asked her offering her his hand. Abby bit back a smile at his awkwardness, "I mean," McGee started over.

"I know what you mean," Abby told him smiling, "let's go." Abby threw a slightly apologetic look at Paula as McGee led her onto the dance floor, but Paula just smiled and motioned for Abby to go have fun.

Paula moved back a little so that she could see the entire dance floor. She enjoyed watching people but she especially liked watching Gibbs team. She had liked them when she had first met Gibbs, Tony, and Kate all those years ago at Guantanamo Bay. She had worked with them, admittedly not closely, three more time before Kate's "death".

Then there was the serial killer. She had worked that case with them as an agent on Gibbs team and though she was not quite one of them, they had saved her. She had almost been a transition agent for the team between Kate and Ziva. Then there was the case where her first team had been killed. She, too, had nearly died in that building but by some miracle she survived.

Now she had a new team. Kate and Ethan worked well with each other and with her as well. She liked them a lot not only as teammates but also as friends. Thinking back to her first team again she remembered the pain in the eyes of their families. Paula knew that she would see that same pain in the eyes of anyone on the team if one of them were kill. She never wanted her failure to protect her team to take another life or hurt a family. Quietly she vowed to herself that she would not let anything to happen to Kate or Ethan.

Suddenly Tony came over to her. "Would you like to dance?" he asked her.

"I thought you were dancing with Ziva," Paula questioned.

"I am but she told me to go dance with you because you looked lonely," Tony said smiling.

"I'm fine," Paula started.

"She also told me she wouldn't dance with me again until I danced with you at least once," Tony said pouting slightly and Paula laughed.

"Alright," Paula said allowing him to lead her out onto the dance floor, "but I have question."

"Go ahead," Tony said a little hesitantly.

"When you told me two years ago that you didn't love Ziva," Paula asked, "Were you lying to me or yourself."

"Myself," Tony responded, "Why?"

"Just curious," Paula replied nonchalantly.

_**So did you like it? Please review. It makes me update faster and we all want that. :-)**_

_**I know I promised you plot but I need set up time. It is coming…**_


	3. The Calm Before the Storm

_**Chapter 3. Yea…I don't really know what to tell you. I screwed up… I was trying to work three active stories at once along with all my school work and finals and this one just kind of got lost in the shuffle. Yes I realize it has been over two months…sorry about that but now this is my top priority and I will post more often… Please don't shoot me.**_

_**Disclaimer: It hasn't been that long… Ethan belongs to me…the rest don't**_

_**Spoilers: None…I think**_

TWO WEEKS LATER

Tony, Ziva, Abby, McGee and Paula were all sitting in the bullpen watching a slideshow of pictures parade across the plasma. The pictures had all been taken at the wedding and Abby had put a slideshow together to give Kate and Ethan when they returned. The team was merely previewing it... Suddenly Abby paused the slideshow.

"This," she said pointing to the picture, "might be my favorite." They all looked at it. The picture showed Tony, who was wearing his tux, pinned up against a wall by Ziva, who was still wearing her bridesmaids dress. She had his arm twisted up behind his back and her mouth was close to his ear. It looked like she was whispering something to him.

Ziva smirked at the picture fondly. Abby, Paula, and McGee were all trying not to laugh as Tony looked between the three of them searching for the culprit. "Which one of you took that picture?" he demanded. None of the three of them answered.

At that moment Jenny and Gibbs walked out of the elevator and over to the team. They both looked at the picture for a moment then smirked at each other. "You know who took it?" he asked.

"Yes we do," Jenny replied with her telltale smirk. Well it was a telltale smirk if you had ever worked with her in the field. It was the look she used when she was pretending to help someone while really leading them into a trap of her own creation.

"Who is it?" he asked, "It's you isn't?" He accused Paula as he turned to look at her.

"It was me agent DiNozzo," Jenny told him in her sweet professional manner. Gibbs smiled as he watched her. It had always been a pleasure to watch her work people so that they did exactly what she wanted them to do before they even realized that they were being manipulated.

"Oh Director," Tony replied awkwardly turning, if it was possible, even redder, "It's an amazing picture."

"Thank you agent DiNozzo," she told him, "I rather liked it myself."

Jenny and Gibbs both smirked at the team as they continued up the stairs. The assembled team members watched them walk up the stairs and into MTAC and then they turned back to one another.

"Why didn't you stop me?" Tony asked the other four.

"Because it was much more fun to watch you screw up," Paula told him perching herself on the edge of Ziva's desk.

"That does not create trust among team members," he told her.

"I'm not on you team," she told him a wicked smile spreading across her face, "I have my own." Paula looked to Ziva to pick up the commentary and Ziva obliged also grinning a little wickedly.

"I believe that makes her your superior," Ziva told Tony. Tony paled a little and it might have stopped there, but Abby caught the scent and decided she wanted to play too.

"That means you have to follow her orders," Abby told him, "I hope you haven't ever done anything to annoy her."

Tony decided that he could play this game too so he dropped to his knees at Paula's feet. "I beg of you," he said looking up at her, "have mercy on me."

Paula, Abby, and Ziva all lost it and started laughing. It was good to be able to interact freely with your coworkers, and not have to worry about what was coming. They had weathered that storm. Up on the catwalk Jenny and Gibbs both chuckled at the antics of the younger agents.

LONDON, ENGLAND

Kate was wrapped in her bathrobe looking out over London. The last two weeks had been absolutely wonderful. It had been a long time when since she had taken a vacation and of course this was a very special vacation.

Suddenly she felt a pair of hands cover her eyes. "Guess who," a familiar voice told her.

"It better be Ethan David," she said laughing, "because if it not I will cause you great pain until you tell me what you are doing in my room."

Ethan let go immediately and took several steps back. He held up in surrender. "I come in peace," he assured.

Kate turned around laughing and looked at her husband. "Do you have your bags packed?" she asked him.

"Do we have to leave?" He asked her, "I mean maybe just another week…"

"Paula would have our heads," Kate reminded him, "she can't work a case without us, and Gibbs will not let her help. I think McGee gives her small jobs out of pity, but either way we have to go back to work."

"Alright," Ethan agreed grudgingly, "I guess you are right." He paused. "Does not mean I like it."

Kate laughed and walked away from the window. "Like I like it any better," she replied lightly.

Suddenly Ethan grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him. She looked up at him and he took advantage of the moment by firmly planting his lips on hers. He was still holding on to one of her wrists but she snaked her other arm around the back of his neck. He wove his fingers through her hair as she deepened the kiss. They were both lost in their united bliss

Suddenly a knock on the door sharply brought them both back to reality. They broke apart and Ethan went to answer the door, but Kate was now holding onto his wrist. "Now that I liked," she told him.

He smiled at her and then he went to open the door. Kate walked towards the bed to gather up the last of her things. She considered just how much she loved those little stolen moments of romance between the two of them. The next thing she registered was a grunt and a crash. She whipped around to see what had happened and saw Ethan motionless on the floor. She did not get a chance to see anything else because seconds later a heavy object made contact with her head, and she too crumpled to the floor.

**_Now I realize that this is not the best way to keep people from shooting me (Not update forever and then give you a cliff hanger when I do), but I would like to remind you that if you shoot me you never know what happens. Anyway…Please review. _**


	4. The Letter

_**Chapter 4. See I am capable of updating. This chapter may seem a little blah but I needed the lead up to the main plot. I hope you like it any way.**_

_**Disclaimer: No sadly I don not own it.**_

_**Spoilers: none.**_

Case load and been really light this week to the point of almost being non-existent. Ziva, Tony, McGee, and Abby were once again sitting in bullpen talking and laughing. Jenny and Gibbs were presumably up in MTAC but no one had seen them in a couple of hours so they could not be sure. At that point Paula walked up with a pile of mail.

She flipped about halfway through the stack then took the top half and placed it on Ziva's desk. "That is for your team," she told the four of them.

Immediately they all dived for Ziva's desk and Paula crept around to sit at Tony's. She had a desk of her own but with Kate and Ethan gone there was no one to talk to without yelling. So she had started sitting at Tony's desk. She had picked his for a couple of reasons. The first reason being that she was not stupid enough to steal Ziva's or Gibbs's and McGee and Abby had a tendency to share McGee's desk. The other reason was that it drove Tony completely insane and that never really got old.

Sure enough as soon as Tony turned around to see Paula sitting in his desk he got that annoyed look. "Come on give it back," he told her. Paula cocked her head a little to the side to make it look like she was actually considering it. Then she shook her head no.

Tony glared at her then turned to Ziva. "Ziva make her give it back," Tony pouted to the assassin. Ziva and Paula exchanged a look and Tony watched in horror as Ziva turned back to him.

"I do not think I am going to do that Tony," Ziva told him.

"You two are teaming up against me." Tony said raising his hands above his head and looking too the ceiling, "I'm doomed."

"You will be if I catch you not working again, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he descended the stairs.

"I couldn't boss," Tony insisted, "Paula stole my desk." He turned to show this to Gibbs put Paula was already back across the room at her desk. He shot her a glare and she returned a smirk.

Gibbs shook his head at their antics as her preceded to his desk. Noticing the pile of mail Paula placed there he started thumbing through it. The rest of his team also began processing their mail, while Paula walked up to the first landing of the stairs. Jenny was standing there and Paula handed the director her mail.

Tony was still trying to get his mail back from Ziva who had grabbed it immediately. She flipped through a couple of bills and clothing magazines and a copy of playboy. Finding nothing sufficient for teasing him about, she handed him back his mail and began flipping through her own.

There was nothing particularly interesting in her stack either until she reached the last envelope. She opened it and began to read but when Tony tried to read over her shoulder he found it was in Hebrew. She frowned as she read it and the further down the page her eyes move, the deeper her frown got. When she was done reading it she shook her head, paused for a moment, and reached for the shredder.

Abby had flipped though her pile quickly, and, after looking at a couple of letters from other forensic scientists who read her work, she disappeared behind her latest copy of the forensic journal. McGee had only had one piece of mail and that was a magazine on computer programming. He got most of his mail electronically.

Gibbs threw the top three letters from his stack into the trash without looking at them. They were letters from his ex-wife Diane. She wrote him a lot of letters, but he had learned a long time ago that that they all said just about the same thing. There were a few magazines on boats and such and he set those aside for later investigation. Other than that there was nothing but junk mail, all of which followed Diane's letters in to the trash can.

Paula already knew what was in her pile. There were a couple of magazines that she had sent to work for days when there was nothing to do. There was also, she noticed as she thumbed through it again, a postcard from London. Paula flipped it over and was about to read the note when Jenny's voice cut the room.

"Jethro," she requested, "come here for a minute." The entire team looked up at her. She looked worried for a second but she covered up the moment she knew that she was being watched. Gibbs scanned her face as he walked towards her. He knew from long experience that her emotions were always displayed in her eyes, and right now they were telling him that something was wrong.

As he reached her, she held out a letter. Gibbs looked down at it and he felt his chest constrict. Jenny had been right there was something desperately wrong. He looked down at his team who were all looking up at him and Jenny waiting to see what was going on. He looked down at the letter and knew even after a decade that this handwriting authentic and not good news.

"We have a problem," Jenny announced to the team as she and Jethro descended the stair and enter the bullpen. The four younger agents and Abby all looked at her.

"What kind of problem?" Ziva asked slowly. Both her training and experience taught her to fear the worst.

Jenny closed her eyes and took a deep breath before speaking. "Kate and Ethan have been kidnapped."

There was a dead silence in the room and Paula froze. Both her agents had been kidnapped. Looking down she realized that she was still holding the postcard from London. A glance at the postcard confirmed that this was bad, because there was only a single word scrawled across it:

Help.

_**Did you like it? Did you hate it? Tell me please. I would really love to know.**_


	5. The Second Letter

**_Chapter 5. Alright here is the fifth chapter and I am really rather proud of it. Um…There is one swear word toward the end of this chapter…so now you have been warned and you cannot complain…Yay…enjoy…_**

**_Spoilers: Shalom (but only sort of)_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own things that aren't mine._**

Gibbs was leaning against the wall in MTAC. Tony, Ziva, and McGee were all sitting down watching their boss and the director. Abby bounced up and down anxiously until McGee grabbed her hand and pulled her into the chair next to him. Paula was pacing back and forth. Jenny was engaged in a videoconference.

"Okay," Jenny said to the man on the screen, "Thank you." The screen went black and Jenny turned back to the team. "Kate and Ethan never made their flight."

"Do we know if they checked out of their hotel room?" Paula asked looking at McGee. McGee looked to Gibbs for confirmation of the order.

"Do it, McGee," Gibbs told the younger agent. Quickly McGee walked over to one of the computers and started typing furiously. He looked at the screen for a few moments before he turned back to the group. "Well," Gibbs demanded.

"Their room is paid for," McGee told them, "for another week." A silence filled the room. If the assembled people had now known Kate and Ethan the way they did, someone might have voiced the question of whether this was all just an elaborate hoax. However no one who had ever met Kate or Ethan could ask that question. The obvious answer was no.

"Director," a cautious female voice said from the doorway. They all looked up to see the director's assistant standing there.

"Yes Cynthia," Jenny replied, "What do you need?"

"You got another letter," Cynthia said handing her boss the envelope. Jenny paled slightly but in the dim lights of MTAC no one notice.

"Thank you, Cynthia," Jenny said with a glance at the envelope, "Can you send Dr. Mallard up here?"

"Yes director," Cynthia said leaving and closing the door behind her. Several minutes later Ducky appeared in the room looking around curiously.

"What is going on?" he asked as took a seat beside Abby.

"Kate and Ethan have been kidnapped," Abby said before anyone else could.

"Oh dear," Ducky said looking around at the group.

"What do the letters say?" Paula asked Jenny pausing in her pacing for a minute.

"The first one is pretty generic," Jenny said with a shrug, "I have take your agents hostage. If you ever want to see them alive again, do nothing and wait for further instructions."

"May I look at it?" Ducky asked curiously. He hoped his skills might be able to shine some light on the writer of the letter.

"Be my guest," Jenny told him, "but you might want to listen to the second letter as well. It is a bit more interesting." Ducky nodded. "The second letter," Jenny took a deep breath, "Jennifer, I am glad that you can follow directions. If you continue to do so nothing with happen. You know what you are trained to do. Follow the evidence."

"And," Gibbs prompted his eyes boring into the letter in Jenny's hand. He would never admit it to anyone but he was worried about Kate. He had almost lost her twice and he did not want to see how many times she could beat death before she lost. He needed something to go on.

"And nothing," she told him handing the letters to Ducky, "That is all it says."

"Are you sure there is nothing else in the letter?" Gibbs demanded.

"I am positive," Jenny told him a little sharply, "The only other things are the envelopes." She held up the envelopes to demonstrate that they were empty but realized that they were not. She had been so distracted by the second letter that she had not even registered the small rectangular piece of plastic in the envelope. "Wait."

"Wait what?" Gibbs demanded walking towards her.

"I think there is something else in the envelope," she told him and he tried to take it from her. "Jethro do not touch it. If it has fingerprints on it they will help us." He stepped back a little and looked at his team.

"Do any of you have gloves?" he asked them a little more calmly.

"I do," Abby volunteered, "I always carry a spare pair just in case." She handed the gloves to Jenny who slipped them on and reached inside the envelope.

Carefully Jenny extracted the piece of plastic from the envelope. Gibbs could not help but be a little impressed. Even after years our of the field, Jenny had maintained her habit of being meticulous when processing evidence. She always thought before she leapt. She examined it for a moment then looked at the group.

"It's a room key," Jenny told them.

Paula walked over to look at it. "That is from the hotel where Kate and Ethan were staying," Paula told the room at large.

"He wants us to follow him," Gibbs exclaimed angrily.

"So what do we do?" Tony asked finally speaking.

"We follow him," Jenny answered and Gibbs glared at her, "Don't you dare glare at me Jethro. We don't know anything about this guy. He knows everything about us. We have to play by he rules for now." Gibbs sighed but nodded.

"Ziva, Tony, Jenny, McGee, and I will go to London," Gibbs announced, "Ducky and Abby you will stay here." Abby opened her mouth to speak.

"Abby," Jenny told her, "We need you to process evidence. It is the only chance we have of catching this guy."

"Alright," Abby replied grudgingly. She knew that evidence would help and so she would stay where she was told…for now.

"What about Paula?" Tony asked Gibbs.

"She is staying here," he told them.

"The hell I am," Paula said looking at Gibbs, "Kate and Ethan are my agents. I am coming." Gibbs turned around to look at her and the entire team watched. It was very rarely that someone was brave enough to say no Gibbs, but Paula would do anything to come.

"No," Gibbs told her, "No you're not."

"Look you have your rules I have mine," Paula told him, "Rule number one: I don't sit on the sidelines while my people are in danger."

Gibbs glared at her for a long moment the nodded. "Be ready to fly out tomorrow." With that he and Jenny left the departed for her office. Ducky followed them. The others looked around at each other.

"I thought that was Tony's number one rule," Abby said after a few minutes.

"I may have taken one or two from Paula's list," Tony admitted looking at her, "I know a good rule when I hear one."

**_Did you like this chapter? Please tell me what you thought? I would love to know… Any way hoped you liked it. Please review._**


	6. The Same Place Once Again

_**Chapter 6. Okay I am really rather proud of this chapter. I am not saying it is perfect but hey…What do you want? I'm not perfect. So I really hope you like it.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the team. I do own Ethan.**_

_**Spoilers: None…I think…**_

Why Kate? That was the question prominent in everybody's mind. Why did it have to be Kate? Here they were in the same situation that they had been in a year ago. The majority of the team was flying long distance in a desperate attempt to save other members held hostage. Actually this was exactly where they had been twelve months ago: sitting on an airplane considering what was to come.

There were differences of course. This time round they had left people back at headquarters and it was six coming to rescue two instead of five rescuing three. Jenny, Ziva, and Ethan had switched from rescuer to hostage or vice versa and Paula had come along for the ride. The fact still remained however that Kate was once again a hostage.

Ziva was looking out the window at the ocean below them. Suddenly she turned to Tony. "Did Kate have any other outstanding enemies?" Ziva asked. She could not figure out why they would have gone for Kate.

"What if it wasn't Kate?" Paula asked from across the isle.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked her.

"I don't think Kate was the target," Paula explained, "She had one major enemy and they were eliminated a year ago. She hasn't worked anything close to a high profile case since then. I don't think this is someone with a vendetta against Kate."

"Good point," Ziva agreed, "It doesn't make sense to take Kate for the sake of taking Kate."

"What about Ethan?" Tony asked, "Kate could just have been collateral damage."

"Why would they take Ethan?" Paula asked, "I know that he is Mossad and the director's son but I was under the impression that…" Paula stopped dead realizing who she was talking to.

"The Director no longer acknowledges either of his two remaining children," Ziva replied calmly, "you are correct. That would significantly reduce his value as a hostage, but he still has information a lot of people would kill for." Tony gently squeezed Ziva's hand as she said that. There were a lot of times that Tony would love to be able to shoot Eli David.

"That doesn't make sense though," McGee pointed out finally, "What about the letters sent to Director Sheppard?"

"Tim's right," Paula agreed, "If they were after Ethan they would not take him and they tell us."

"Paula's right," Ziva stated, "Anyone who wanted information out of an ex-Mossad agent would keep it as quiet as possible." Ziva pause for a moment then pointed out, "If they want information out of Ethan then Ethan has all the time in the world. He can withstand torture for weeks." Her sentence died and she looked to see if anyone had picked up her drift. Paula had.

"But even blind martins can tell that Ethan would do anything in the world," Paula continued.

"To save Kate," Tony finished, "so if that is who has them then Kate goes through the same thing she did a year." Tony was angry at the world. What had his partner done to deserve this?

"Worse," Ziva said shaking her head, "I would guess that in the end she would be killed either because Ethan gave the information or because he didn't. If that is who as them they are as good as lost."

"But," McGee pointed out, "We know that this person is not after Mossad secrets because they sent the letters. They are baiting someone on this team."

"Look at who they took," Paula said, "It could be anyone: me because they are my agents, Ziva because Ethan is her brother, Tony or Tim because they would both die for Kate. There is no way to pinpoint it because everyone is so close."

"What if that's the point?" Tony asked slowly, "What if the point is that not only are Kate and Ethan the easiest to grab they are the only ones who drag everyone in. Paula wouldn't be here if it were not Kate and Ethan."

"True," Paula agreed, "But I haven't pissed anyone off lately other than you. I don't think I was the intended target. If I was they would have sent the letter to me."

"They sent it to Jenny," Ziva agreed, "Does that mean she was the intended target?"

"It would make sense," Tony commented, "Doesn't she had enemies scattered all across Europe?"

"Yea she does," Ziva replied, "I am sure she did from her missions both with me and with Gibbs. She was there longer than either one of us."

"Can you think of any she made while working with you?" Paula asked.

"No actually," Ziva replied, "I can think of a couple of lovesick men who had their hearts broken, but most of our marks are deceased and have been for a while."

"What about her time with Gibbs?" Tony asked, "Did she make enemies there?"

"Almost certainly," Ziva replied, "She had issues pulling the trigger at times. I am certain that there are some marks she let live."

"What if it isn't just Jenny?" Paula asked suddenly, "What if it's both of them?"

"What do you mean both of them?" Tony asked obviously confused.

"Both Jenny and Gibbs," Ziva stated, "That makes sense. They worked all the missions together through out Europe. If one of them had enemies they both might."

Jenny had been eves dropping on the younger agents conversation from the row behind them. They had made a very good point. She had made a lot of enemies in Europe and defiantly had not managed to kill all of them. One in particular worried her. No she told herself shaking her head there was no way that would could back to haunt her after all those years.

Still she could not rid her head of the thought that a certain person might be behind it. If that was who was behind it, things were about to get a lot more complicated and everything would be on the line. Not that any of that changed the state of play. Kate and Ethan were in trouble and the team was going to save them. None of them considered the costs because none of them could think of a price they would not pay.

_**Did you like it? Please tell me? I would love to know what you thought. **_


	7. All For Show

**_Chapter 7. I'm back from vacation. I am sure that you all missed me immensely…hmmm…probably not…I am sure that you missed my updates….that more likely? Anyway here is chapter seven. I hope that you enjoy it._**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything…although they killed Paula she might be up for grabs…if she is I call dibbs…**_

_**Spoilers: Um…no**_

Tony, Ziva, and Paula all looked at each other. They were standing outside the hotel that had been Kate and Ethan place of residence. Gibbs and Jenny were trying find a hotel for the team because they would have to spend at least the night in London. There was also a suspicion among the younger agents that the pair was up to something else…not that anyone would ever admit it. McGee was off trying to trace Kate and Ethan's credit cards even though he knew it was a fertile exercise.

Finally Tony took a step forward and opened the hotel door. He allowed both women to walk in front of him and into the building. Usually he would have tried to cut Paula off, but somehow today did not seem like a day for that.

They made their way across the lobby and into the elevator with barely a glance at the front desk. They already had a key to the room because it had been mailed to them. Paula looked down on rectangular piece of plastic.

"Did Abby get prints of this?" Paula questioned her two companions.

"No," Tony said shaking his head, "It was wiped completely clean. There weren't any prints. There wasn't anything else either."

"He is meticulous," Ziva agreed. She had seen Abby's report too, and they really had nothing to go on because the letters had also been wipe clean of prints and trace. They only had what the kidnapper had handed them, and that was the letters and the key.

"Or really lucky," Paula added sarcastically.

"No one is the lucky," Ziva replied missing the sarcasm completely.

"All the worse," Paula commented. They all lapsed into silence as the elevator continued to ascend. As seasoned investigators they all knew that smart criminals were much worse that lucky ones. Luck would run out quickly and the criminal would make a mistake. The smart ones took much longer to make a mistake and that make them all the more deadly.

The elevator dinged as it reached the floor and the three of them only barely managed to step out before a group of children ran in. Paula looked at the frazzled parent that appeared a moment later and wondered if those people had been seen Kate and Ethan leave the building the last time. Then she shook the thought from her head. This was not an investigation. They were not going door to door and asking the neighbors what they had heard. They were keeping this below the radar as long as they possibly could.

From where they were standing they were standing there were three possible directions. Tony sized up his options and decided that splitting up was the fastest thing to do.

"So who wants to take which direction?" he asked the two women.

"How about we all go this way?" Ziva suggested pointing down the center hall.

"How do you know it's that way?" Tony returned.

"Because the room numbers increases by hall," Paula pointed out. Tony studied the numbering and realized that the girls were right.

"Well how about that," he said turning around, "So we go up…" His voice drifted off realizing that the other two had already gone up the designated hall and stopped in front of a door. He joined them and for a few moments they all looked at it. Then, knowing that time was of the essence, Paula reach forward and slid the key into the key reader.

The door swung open and revealed the room. They stepped in and shut the door behind them. Every member of the team had assumed that Kate and Ethan had been ambushed between their room and the front desk. Their room told a different story.

One of the suitcases was neatly packed and on the bed. The other was overturned on the floor and the contents had been scattered across the room. Clothes were everywhere and the covers on the bed had been pulled sideways as if someone had pulled them that way.

"You think this all came from a struggle?" Ziva asked the other two.

"Don't you?" Tony asked.

"No," Ziva replied with a shake of her head, "I do not."

"How come?" Paula queried.

"It is too messy," Ziva replied simply.

"Too messy," Tony asked incredulously, "This is a crime scene.

"Yes," Ziva replied calmly, "and what mess there is makes little sense."

"She's right," Paula agreed surveying the room in a different frame of mind, "You assume that whoever it was decided that Ethan was a bigger threat and would have knocked him out first. Once that happened, he would either have to knock Kate out immediately, meaning there would be no struggle, or she would get the best of him too quickly and he would have to corner her."

"Kate's smart," Ziva reminded them despite the fact that none of them needed it, "She would have gone for her gun or anything else she could use as a weapon. There is nothing in this suitcase that could be use as a weapon. Unless she puts her gun in her checked luggage.

"She doesn't" both Tony and Paula replied.

"At least not until she gets to the airport," Paula amended. Every job had it's nasty side affects and this was just one that came with being a cop. You are automatically a little more wary of the world around you. You can never stop yourself from imagining the enemies you have made over the years and knowing that anyone of them could at that moment be coming to kill you. Even on her honeymoon, Kate had not been able shake the feeling. Granted, Paula thought, Kate clearly had not been completely safe.

"So what are we say?" Tony asked.

"We are saying that someone was meant to see this," Ziva said slowly

"Who?"

It was Paula who answered standing on the other side of the room, she turned to them and only then did they see that she was holding a very familiar looking white envelope.

"Us."

_**Hehe…Would you like to know what is in the envelope? I am sure you would. Well review and I might tell you…**_


	8. In The Dark

**_Chapter 8. Don't tell me that this is late. I already know that. I was on vacation so I am sorry…sort of…not really…you have this chapter now you everyone is happy. :-) I do not have much to say. I just hope that you enjoy this chapter._**

**_Disclaimer: No…other than Ethan they are not mine_**

**_Spoilers: Nada._**

Kate's eyes flickered open and she found that she could not see. Everything around her was a pitch-black canvas with not even a speck of light. Panic gripped her, but as she raised her hand she found that she could see it if it was right in front of her eyes. She took a deep breath. She had not gone blind it was just really dark. She took another deep breath. She needed to approach this rationally. The first step to doing that would be to figure out where she was and how she got there.

Carefully she felt her surroundings, and, as soon as she was sure that she would not fall off something, she rolled onto her hands and knees. She could feel hard ground under her hands. She felt the wall she was next to her and felt cinder blocks under her finger tips. Kate started to crawl along the cinder block, but she ran into a solid object. She reached out to feel for the obstacle in her way and her fingers closed around a metal bar.

She sank back against the wall. She was in a prison. She did not know where she was or how she had gotten there, but she did know that this was a jail cell. There were so many questions that needed to be answered and sitting her in the dark she could not answer any of them. The last thing she remembered was being in the hotel room. There had been a knock on the door and Ethan had gone to open it…

The blood drained from Kate's face. She had not even thought about Ethan. She did not know what had happened to him. "Ethan," she hissed into the darkness, "Ethan." Quickly she crawled back over to the corners of the cell she had not explored. She had not gone very far when she felt something soft on the floor. It was the sleeve of Ethan's shirt.

She felt her way up his arm quickly and carefully so she could check for a pulse. There was a defiantly a pulse there. Kate let out the breath she did not realize she had been holding. He was still alive. She slid her hand into his and settled down on the ground beside him. Almost immediately she felt his fingers tighten on hers and she looked down.

Ethan's beautiful blue eyes were staring up into hers. It suddenly occurred to her that she could see farther in front of her. "Hey," Ethan told her quietly.

"Hey," Kate replied smiling down at him.

"Where are we?" he asked still not moving from the floor.

The smile on Kate's face was replace but a grimace. "I'm not sure," she admitted to her husband, "all I know is that we are in some kind of jail cell."

"That's okay," Ethan told her as he sat up next to her, "We'll get out of here."

"You don't know that," Kate pointed out. Her voice was completely level and had Ethan not known her as well as he did, he would have believed that she was doing okay. Unfortunately for Kate, the mask she used to keep everyone else from seeing what she was feeling did not work nearly as well on Ethan as it did on everybody else. He could tell that she was shaken.

"We are going to get through this," he assured her again.

"How can you know that?" she demanded. "We don't even know what these people want. Heck, we don't know who they are. How can you possibly know that we will get out of this alive?"

"Kate," he tried to interrupt her but she just kept going.

"I have come about thirty seconds for death," she reminded him. "Twice. What if I don't have another chance left?"

Ethan took both Kate's hands in his. "Honey look at me," he told her calmly. Automatically she obeyed his request. "We are going to be just fine. You know why you made it out the last two time?" Ethan asked the question knowing perfectly what Kate's answer would be.

"Because I had people who were willing to bail me out," Kate replied. The first time round it had been Ziva and Ethan who had saved her. Then less than a year ago, the entire team had been working together to save her again.

"You make it sound like a sacrifice," Ethan commented, "I don't think there is a single member of the team who is going to let us rot here. They will figure out who did this and they will catch the pathetic little worm."

"How will they know we are missing?" Kate questioned calling attention to the biggest hole in his prediction.

"Oh come on," Ethan told her with a smile, "Paula will have to find us so she can kill us for not coming back to work when we said we would. You know how much she hates desk work."

"True," Kate said with a small smile as she leaned into her husband.

Ethan stroked Kate's hair as she relaxed slightly, and he cursed the man who had brought them here. He knew that Kate was still having nightmares about the last time she had been kidnapped. He also knew that she had lost some part of herself when she was in hiding in Rome. Why did it have to be her who was in the middle of this mess?

He sighed and wondered for the first time why they were here. There were so many different reasons to hold somebody hostage. They could have been taken out of retaliation for some act that they did. They could be taken for some act that someone else committed. They could have been taken purely for money. They could have been taken for a dozen other reasons as well.

Ethan knew from experience both as hostage, hostage taker, and rescuer that the list could cover pages. They need to know more about their captor before they could assess their situation. However that did not change his promise to Kate. They would get out of this one alive.

_**Did you like it? Please tell me. I like reviews. They make me happy. **_


	9. The Third Letter

_**Chapter 9. Here is this chapter. I rather like it. I hope you do. There is a fair bit of Jibbs fluff in here but if you are reading this and don't like Jibbs I would honestly advise you to stop here. Enjoy.**_

_**Spoilers: None of any significance**_

_**Disclaimer: I own Ethan…not the rest.**_

"This is my fault," Jenny told Gibbs as she paced up and down in the hotel room. "This is completely my fault."

"You don't know that Jen," Gibbs replied watching from the bed as she walked between the window and the door.

"What else makes sense?" she questioned him trying to hide the plea for another plausible possibility.

"Every member of this team has enemies," Gibbs reminded her, "Look at DiNozzo."

"Jethro how many of them have enemies in Europe?" she demanded and Gibbs resisted the urge to shake his head. She had set her mind on the idea that it was her fault and there would be no shaking that idea now.

"Well," he responded, "Me, Ziva, Ethan, Ducky,"

"But," she started to protest but he cut her off.

"Look Jen," he told her a little angrily, "We don't have any information. Stop pointing fingers."

Jenny looked him and the look in her eyes immediately made him regret that he had snapped her.

"Just wait until we have some concrete evidence," Gibbs amended. "You don't need to be blaming yourself if we don't have any evidence that points to you."

"Alright," Jenny told him quietly, "you're right." She stopped pacing and sat down on the bed next to him. "I'm just worried," she told him as she let her head rest on his shoulder.

"I know," he replied wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I know.

He knew because he felt the same way. He knew deep down that there were only two plausible possibilities for the intended targets, and they were both sitting in this room. The letters had come to Jenny, and that was at least a strong suggestion that who ever was baiting them was baiting her. If they were baiting Jenny because of something she had done in Europe there was a pretty good chance that he was responsible too.

There were the years she had spent with Ziva in Europe as well, but Gibbs suspected that those two working together had not resulted in a whole lot of living enemies. Ziva did not like loose ends. He also knew that he and Jenny had left more than one loose end.

They had known when they did it that it had the potential to come back to haunt them a little later. Neither one of them had ever dreamed that it would put anyone else lives at risk. Of course a leading factor in that belief was that neither one of them would be alive by this point in their life. They had both worked enough dangerous cases to know that they did not have a great chance at survival. Gibbs could not count the number of close calls he had experienced over the years. He could tell you everyone Jenny's close calls from when they worked together, but he could not tell you his.

Maybe that was because hers were so much more terrifying. Death held no fears for him. What did scare him, though he would never admit it, was the thought of a world without Jenny in it. He had never quiet gotten over her the first time and now that they were together again he was not sure what he would do if he lost her…again.

Gibbs was shaken from his thoughts by a knock on the door. He watched as Jenny rose from the bed and walked towards it. He also noted that she was holding a gun. He shook his head. She always carried a weapon. However apparently the people on the other side of the door did not seem particularly freighting because she holstered the gun and opened the door.

Tony, Ziva, Paula, and McGee all walked in and seated themselves in the chairs across from Gibbs. Jenny returned to her spot beside him. Then she looked at the younger agents.

"So," Jenny prompted, "What did you find?" Tony and McGee both started to speak but Jenny held up a finger, "McGee."

"Nothing particularly useful," McGee reported, "We know that neither one of them has used their credit cards or cell phones since Tuesday. They are off the grid."

"Did you try to trace either cellphone?" Gibbs asked.

"They were both off and I couldn't turn them on remotely," McGee said shaking his head. He could hack electronics but he could not turn on a destroyed cell phone. No one could.

"Alright," Jenny told the group calmly not betraying any of the gnawing fear she felt inside, "We expected that, but it was important that we check. Tony, what did you find?"

"There was a struggle," Tony informed her, "At the apartment I mean."

"Well, sort of," Paula amended.

"There was not one," Ziva finished, "it was staged."

"Well," Gibbs said, "Did any of you take any pictures?" Tony and Ziva exchanged a look, but before either one could say anything Paula handed her camera to Jenny. Quickly Jenny flipped though the pictures.

"Staged," she told them, "Transparently so, actually." She grimaced at the pictures back to Paula. "So you found a staged crime scene."

"There is one other thing we found," Ziva told the others almost hesitantly. She held it out and gave it to Gibbs. Jenny looked over his shoulders and felt her face go white.

"The names didn't mean anything to us," Paula commented.

"Jethro," Jenny whispered, "It doesn't get more concrete than that."

"Not often," Gibbs agreed. The younger agents all exchanged looks trying to figure out what they were missing.

"Who are Sophia and Thomas?" Tony asked his bosses.

"They were our code names on many of our Europe missions." A series of shocked looks were exchanged, but Jenny and Gibbs missed them all because they were focused on the envelope.

Jenny took the envelope and pulled a piece of paper. Then she read the few lines of writing out loud:

_I've seen places, faces and smiled for a moment_

_But oh, you haunted me so_

_Still my tongue tied, young pride_

_Would not let my love for you show_

_In case you say no_

_**Any clue what's going on? Strangely I do know where I am going…Hehe… can you figure it out? What is the song? Hope you enjoyed it. Please Review. **_


	10. From Russia With Love

_**Chapter 10. Yay! Okay well I am sure you were all dying to know what those word meant so now you get to know. Anyway here is the chapter.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any character in this chapter or From Russia With Love.**_

_**Spoilers: None that I can think of. **_

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Gibbs asked annoyed looking down at the typed script.

"You're kidding boss," Tony told him, "you don't know what that means?"

"No," Gibbs replied, "no I don't."

"Oh Boss," Tony moaned, "how can you not know? Sean Connery as James Bond. One of the best films of its time. Except of Psycho. Psycho was better."

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said with a pointed look to Ziva and Paula who both head slapped Tony.

"Sorry boss," Tony apologized as he winced and rubbed his head. "Those lines are from the title track of From Russia with Love."

"What?" Gibbs asked annoyed.

"James Bond willingly falls into an assassination ploy involving this smokin' hot Russian chick in order to retrieve this Soviet encryption device that was stolen by…" Tony's voice drifted off as he looked at Gibbs face, "And you don't care."

"It's an action flick from the sixties," Paula told Gibbs.

"Thank you," Gibbs told her with another glare at DiNozzo who in turn glared at Paula.

"It is so much more than an action flick from the sixties," Tony told her defensively while Ziva tried to smoother a smirk, "Have you ever seen it?"

"Yes Tony," Paula replied in her best fake nice voice, "If I remember correctly you forced me to sit through the first three of them one night."

"The first three?" Ziva asked incredulously, "How many of these things are there?"

"Twenty," Paula replied with a grimace.

"Twenty two," Tony corrected her. "New ones came out in 2006 and 2008. They were okay. Nothing on the Sean Connery films obviously…"

"Obviously," Paula said rolling her eyes. She had looked up the number of James Bond films when she and Tony were dating because she was curious just how many of them she would have to sit through.

As Tony continued his heated analysis of the James Bond films, Gibbs looked over at Jenny. She was fiddling with the heart shaped pendant on her neck. She only did that when she was nervous or worried. He met her gaze, and they exchanged a look. He nodded and then turned back to the group.

"As fascinating as this is," Jenny started.

"It doesn't get us any closer to figuring out what the heck the letter means," Gibbs finished for her, "So drop it."

"Yes boss," Tony replied as the four younger agents all turned to face him.

"There has got to be something we are missing," Ziva stated simply looking at the envelope on the table. "Is there anything else in there?"

"No," Paula replied shaking her head, "I don't think there is. She picked up the envelope and dumped it upside-down on the table. A few crumbs fell out and lay on the table."

No one touched the crumbs they just lay there on the table. They were not anything useful and so no one paid them much mind. Gibbs looked at his team and shook his head. "So this is how you run an investigation?" he demanded, "you ignore the only evidence we have?"

"They are crumbs," Paula pointed out, "common everyday crumbs."

"How do you know that," Gibbs asked, "if you haven't even looked at them?"

"And what are ordinary bread crumbs doing in an envelope?" Jenny asked them, "Because I don't know about you, but I don't store my food in my envelopes."

The younger agents all exchanged glances that clearly said none of this had occurred to them. Then they knelt down around the table and stared at the crumbs on the table. They were not much different from the crumbs you saw in a kitchen or at a picnic, but as Jenny had pointed out there was no reason for them to be in an envelope. After several minutes where the team stared at the crumbs Tony looked at the others.

"They are bread crumbs," he told them, "maybe he got hungry while writing the letter." This comment earned him a glare from almost everyone on the team, and he returned to staring at the crumbs.

"That's it," McGee said suddenly, "They are bread crumbs." They all looked at him confused. "In Hansel and Gretel they follow a trail of bread crumbs home."

"Good idea, McCrumb," Tony told the younger man.

"So if we need to follow the bread crumbs," Paula asked, "Where is the trail?"

"Right here," Jenny replied holding up the letter. "The trail is right here. Whoever wrote this wants us to go to Russia."

"Why?" Paula asked.

"What part of Russia?" Ziva questioned at the same time.

"We left a lot of enemies when we were working in Europe," Jenny replied simply, "One of them is back for revenge."

"So can you narrow it down to a part of Russia?" Paula asked.

"I think that you can probably assume that it was some city you worked in," Ziva told them, "Because whoever it is thinks that there is enough information to narrow it down to one city."

"And you don't actually enter Russia during the film From Russia With Love," Paula pointed out with a role of her eyes.

"I spent a lot of time in Russia," Jenny reminded them, "There are a lot of different cities that it could be."

"It's Rostov," Gibbs said. "Think about what the words are saying," he explained her when she gave him a confused look. She looked from him to the words and he saw the sparkle of recognition in her eyes.

"You're right," she said slowly, "It's Rostov."

Gibbs grimaced. That was the only city that would fit the actual words in the song because, though they had worked many operations in Russia, they had only worked one when they were not together. During that operation in Rostov he had still been too damn scared to tell her how he felt and it had nearly cost him dearly.

_**Okay. Did you like it? Please tell me. That button down there is getting awfully lonely…any way… Please Review. **_


	11. Rostov 1998

**_Chapter 11. See I'm not dead…just busy…anyway here is the next chapter. I am really happy with it and I hope you like it._**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**_

_**Spoilers: Nope**_

AUGUST 1998

"Come on Jethro," Jenny called from the doorway of their room. "We need to go now."

"Jenny," he called back, "I don't think that it is really necessary to…" his voice drift off has he caught a glimpse of her face. "Alright." He cursed silently to himself. They had only been working together six months, and already she had such control over him.

"Great," she told him excitedly as a wide smile spread across her face. Jethro could not help to feel that everything he was about to have to sit through was worth it just to see that smile, and so he let her lead him out onto the streets of Rostov.

If he had had his way they would both be sitting back in their hotel room working on opp they were running, but Jenny had wanted to go out to dinner in Rostov, and as she pointed out it was then or never. After the opp they would need to get out and get out fast, or they would be dead. That caused Jethro to shiver a little even in the warm August air.

"How about this restaurant?" Jenny asked him as she pulled him towards a brightly lit building. He had to admit that the smell of food wafting outside was quite tantalizing. However something felt wrong about the place. A moment later he knew why.

Gunshots rang though the air, and he pulled Jenny behind the wall of the restaurant. He only caught a glimpse of her face in the darkness, but he noted her look of determination as she pulled a twenty-two out of her ankle holster. She then handed him her forty-five.

"Let's go," she whispered to him, "Let's just go out the back of this alley and head for out hotel."

"And leave them on the street?" he asked, "We don't know who else was hit."

"Doesn't matter now," she told him grimly.

"Why?" he started, but gunfire answered the question. The men had followed them into an alley. Without a word of conversation both Jenny and Jethro opened fire on their attackers. The problem was that they did not have the upper hand. They could not see where they were shooting while the men clearly had a pretty good idea.

"One," Jenny whispered to him, "Two, Three." He knew that was his cue to follow her out of the alley, and this time he knew she had the right idea. They were out numbered and out of ammunition. Together they took off running.

He let Jenny lead because she was the one who had safe houses set up all over the city. Apparently they were not far from one because after not very long Jenny pulled open a door and darted inside it. He followed her and closed the door.

Carefully he pressed his eye to the keyhole and watched the street outside. For nearly a quarter of an hour he stood there with his eye pressed to the door. Finally he decided that if their attackers were coming in they would have done it by now.

"I think we are safe," he said turning back to Jenny. There was no answer. "Jenny?" He could just see her form crumpled on the floor. "Jenny," he said again as he dropped to his knees beside her.

Only now could he see the blood. Jenny's white shirt was scarlet. Quickly he pulled off his own shirt and tore a shred from it. He wrapped the shred around her abdomen as tightly as he could without affecting her breathing. Then he slipped the remains of the shirt under the so that it could hopefully slow the bleeding. Then gently but firmly he lifted her into his arms and unlocked the door.

-0- -0- -0-

Two hours later Jethro stood pacing in the waiting room of a Russian hospital. He did not remember the walk to the hospital or how he had found it. His only thought had been getting his partner to safety. He knew perfectly well that he might have compromised the mission because Americans with gunshot wounds were not particularly common in Rostov. He could not quite bring himself to care.

His only concern was his partner. No mission was worth her life. If a mission called for his life…that would be okay…he had done things in his past that deserved death, and if that death were to come he would prefer it to be in a hail of bullets…but not Jenny. He would do anything to save her. After all, he loved her.

He had fallen for his partner, but he had not actually told her that yet. If she did not feel the same way then their partnership and friendship would be destroyed, and he would not be able to take that. Anyway, while relationships between agents were not strictly forbidden, they were most definitely frowned upon. However, if she survived this, he would confess his feelings to her. Life was too precious to waste.

He could still not get the image of her lying on the floor covered in her own blood out of his mind. He also could not forget that even then she looked strong and undefeated.

"Family of Sophie Willows?" a nurse called out in Russian.

Jethro hurried forward. "Is she alright?" he asked annoyed that his Russian was not as good as it should have been.

"She will be fine," the nurse replied, "There was massive bleeding, but both wounds were actually very easy to clean up. Neither bullet did any damage to an organ. She is in that room if you would like to see her, but be gentle."

Jethro nodded and took off down the hall, stopping at the door the nurse had indicated. Carefully he leaned around the doorway to look into the room. Jenny was sitting up in the hospital bed but looked very pale even against the white sheets. Her read hair was flaming by contrast.

"Come in," she told him quietly trying to face a smile but only really managing a grimace.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her tentatively taking a chair beside her bed.

"Like I've been shot," she replied with a shrug. Jethro smiled back at her, but did not miss the fact that shrugging had made her wince. It was then that he remembered his promise to himself.

"Jenny," he told her looking into her eyes, "I…I…am really glad your not dead."

Jenny tilted her head a little to the side, but gave him a small smile. "Me too."

_**Did you like it? Tell me! Please review. **_


	12. A Plan Sort Of

**_Chapter 12. Well…not much to say here. Did you guys like the season opener? I thought it was pretty good. Not the best we've ever seen, but pretty good._**  
**_Disclaimer: I do not own anyone._**

_**Spoilers: Nothing. **_

"I always rather liked Rostov," Jenny murmured as she looked out the window.

"Yea, I always liked Rostov too," Gibbs replied annoyed, "Expect for the part where you got shot and our mission nearly got blown before it started."

"Well yes," Jenny agreed conversationally, "That put a little bit of a damper on it, but it really is a beautiful city."

Gibbs almost had to laugh at that. "Yes it is," he finally agreed, "Now get some sleep Jen."

Jenny ignored him and continued watching the city outside the window. Gibbs shook his head slightly and turned his attention back to driving. Their plane had landed in Rostov about an hour ago, and after collecting their baggage, they had made their way out to a waiting van. Gibbs had volunteered to drive and everyone else had climbed into the back at fallen asleep, except for Jenny. She was ridding shotgun beside him and was still fully awake.

"So Jen," Gibbs started conversationally, "Do we actually have a plan?"

"Not to my knowledge," Jenny replied still looking out the window, "Do you have a plan?"

"I always saw that as your department," Gibbs replied.

"True," Jenny agreed, "But it wasn't always. You made all our plans for the first six months. I did the plans for the last twelve months."

"Oh yea," Gibbs remembered with a slight smirk as he threw a glance sideways at his old partner, "I let you have the honor after your little stunt in Rostov."

"Which little stunt in Rostov?" Jenny asked evenly looking at him.

"The one where you got shot and still managed to run all the way to the safe house," he explained.

"Oh," Jenny said with a nod, "I don't remember most of that one."

Gibbs shook his head. He refrained from pointing out that remembering any of was a miracle because most people probably have died, but not Jenny. She was just too tough to die. "Which stunt were you thinking of?" he asked her.

"Well I was thinking of the one where I convinced you to come to the high profile party our mark was at," Jenny replied, "And I didn't actually tell you he was there."

"Oh that one," Gibbs replied a little annoyed.

"Are you still mad about that?" Jenny asked him with a shake of her head. Taking his lack of answer for an affirmative, she continued, "That was a decade ago."

"Yea well," Gibbs replied, "A lot of things were a decade ago." It was Jenny's turn to not make a reply.

"Why did you let me plan missions after Rostov anyway?" Jenny asked him curiously. She had never really known nor had she asked. All she knew was that after Rostov she would come up with the base of the plan, and he would edit.

"Because you were smart enough to have safe houses scattered across the city," Gibbs told her.

"Still do," she replied with a slight smiled that quickly faded, "That's it."

"What's it?" Gibbs asked her annoyed he had missed the connection.

"I still have the safe house we hid in that first night," she told him, "That is where the note wants us to go. It is the only place we went that the kidnapper would be sure we could get to, and nobody else would get in the way." Gibbs looked at her for a moment, and then wheeled the van around. "Where are we going?" Jenny asked.

"Your safe house," Gibbs told her.

"Shouldn't we have," Jenny asked him, "oh I don't know…a plan."

"That would be good," he replied, "You have about ten minutes." Jenny glared, but lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

Within the promised ten minutes they were parked in the alley beside the safe house, and Gibbs had turned expectantly to Jenny. She glanced over her shoulder at the sleeping team.

"As much as I would like to leave them in the car," Jenny started.

"That would be a bad idea," Ziva finished for her. Jenny gave a Gibbs a look that said 'see what I mean' and he nodded in amusement.

"Wake the other's," Jenny instructed Ziva, who did as she was told with only slight regrets about choosing not to torture Tony. Soon the others were all blinking awake. "Okay," Jenny explained to the team, not missing Gibbs smirk that she had managed to come up with a plan in the ten minutes he had allowed. "Jethro and I will go in. Tony and Ziva, you two will do perimeter and provide backup if needed. Paula and McGee, I want you two here monitoring whatever you can."

"Why I'm I on monitoring duty," Paula asked annoyed. She had not gotten much sleep and was a little irritable.

"It doesn't matter," Gibbs told her, "You have your orders."

"Because you are less likely to distract McGee and more likely to find something than Tony is," Jenny explained at the same time as Gibbs. Tony's smile slid off his face. "And I want Ziva as backup."

Paula nodded, and most of the team climbed out of the van. Outside of the van, the four agents pulled out their weapons, and with a silent look they all moved to the door.

"Do you still have those sunglass that reveal heat signatures?" Jenny asked Ziva in a whisper.

"Yes," Ziva replied just as quietly, "But I left them in DC"

"Alright," Jenny replied bending down to check the door, "It doesn't look like the door is rigged to any sort of trap," she concluded.

"No," Ziva agreed, "It does not, but it is impossible to tell what is on the other side."

"So we're doing this pretty much blind," Jenny told them with a shrug. To be honest, she was not nearly as calm as she was pretending, but it was important to at least look calm and organized, so that is what she was doing. "You ready?"

"Do we have a choice?" Tony asked.

"Yea," Gibbs replied, "Go tell Paula you want to switch places with her." Tony was silent.

"One, Two," Jenny looked up at Gibbs with her hand on the doorknob. He gave he a tiny nod, and she returned it. "Three." She opened the door.

_**And yes I am really going to leave you there. Want to know what happen? Then review. Please. **_


	13. The Fourth Letter

_**Chapter 13. Hey how you doing? Here is this weekend's chapter. Don't tell me that is Monday because I know that… Enjoy**_

_**Spoilers: None**_

_**Disclaimer: Not mine never will be.**_

Nothing happened. Jenny and Gibbs exchanged a single look, then together they stepped into the building. Tony and Ziva started to follow, but Jenny signaled for them to do a patrol with a single shake of her head. The pair headed off without protest.

"Is anybody here?" Jenny whispered into the dark. There was no answer, and simultaneously she and Gibbs turned their flashlights on. The thin beams of light did little to penetrate the darkness.

Each of them carefully made their way along one of the walls. Searching for any sort of clue that could tell them they were in the right place.

"I'm turning the lights on," Jenny told her partner finally. He did not respond and continued to work his way around the perimeter of the room as she walked back to the light switch. She flipped the switch and lights flickered on above them. "I guess I was wrong," Jenny remarked looking around the room.

"You weren't," Gibbs told her, "Come here." He was standing in the corner looking down at the floor. Jenny did not know it, but that spot of floor was the same place where she had collapsed and nearly died a decade ago. The floor still stained with blood could testify to that.

"What?" Jenny asked him, "Oh." She had caught sight of the floor, and even though she could not remember the night in question, she knew without being told that the brown stain that covered the floor was her own blood. Subconsciously she reached up and rubbed her shoulder where there was still a scar from that bullet.

There was no question that they were in the right spot because in the middle of the dried blood was a single white envelope. On the front of the envelope in simple script were the words:

_To Tomas and Sophie Willows_

The pair of them exchanged a look before Jenny reached down to pick up the envelope. Her fingers moved slowly and deliberately as she opened the flap on the back of the envelope. It was taking a supreme effort for here to keep her hands from shaking as she did so. She had really hoped that they would find Kate and Ethan here, and it would all be over, but apparently the kidnapper had other plans.

Gibbs read over Jenny's shoulder as she unfolded the paper. This one, like the one before it, contained only a few lines of writing.

_Even old New York was once New Amsterdam_

_Why they changed it I can't say_

_People just liked it better that way_

_Take me back to Constantinople._

"Well that really only requires a basic history lesson," Ziva commented appearing suddenly at Jenny's shoulder.

"I don't get it," Tony told her, and Ziva rolled her eyes.

"Are you kidding me?" Ziva asked him, "Did you even pay attention in school?"

"Not in social studies," Tony defended himself, "I mean who would have though any of that would have come in handy?"

"Everything might well come in handy someday," Ziva told him exasperatedly.

Jenny and Gibbs exchanged a fleeting look. This was aggressive bickering even for Tony and Ziva. Finally Gibbs cut in. "Are you two done?"

"Yes boss," the pair replied together falling into silence.

"So where exactly is Constantinople?" Tony asked after a few moments of silence.

"It no longer exists," Ziva explained, "After the Ottoman Empire fell at the end of World War I, the Turks pretty much erased every connection to it. Constantinople became Istanbul."

"So Istanbul is in Turkey," Tony summed up.

Ziva sighed. "Yes," she told him annoyed, "If you really want to simplify the destruction of a culture that way."

"What's up with her?" Tony asked as Ziva walked out.

"I don't know," Jenny told him, "but I recommend you figure it out." Tony took the hint and left the room.

"Romance between agents never works," Gibbs muttered under his breath.

"Give them a chance," Jenny told him, "and remember that Ethan is Ziva's brother. This has got to be hard on her." For now Jenny let the comment about romance between agents slide. It was not worth starting a fight over.

"What game is this guy playing?" Gibbs asked looking at Jenny as if he had not heard her previous comment.

"I don't know," Jenny said with a sigh, "but I don't like it. He is leading us around on a string, and knows that we will follow the bait."

"Didn't leave us much of a choice there," Gibbs agreed.

What that statement left unsaid that was once any member of the team was involved, there was no backing out. They were a team from better and for worse, and this definitely for the worse. Either way, whoever had Kate and Ethan undoubtedly knew that as well. They also apparently knew things about Gibbs and Jenny's past that were nowhere near common knowledge.

"So I guess we know where we go from here," Jenny said looking at the floor again.

"I guess we do," Gibbs agreed with a nod. His eyes were trained on the same spot on the floor. He had never really forgotten Rostov, though he had tried repeatedly, but a part of him wished that they could stay in Rostov just for another day.

Jenny let out a sigh and finally turned her back on the room. It was time to move on from all those things. She could never forget what happened here, but she had to let it recede into the past because there would be more memories—of people, of places, of conversations, of lies—to take their place. If this was going where it looked like, a lot of skeletons in the closets were going to come into the light.

Yes, it was time to leave Rostov and its secrets behind. Istanbul had its own set of dark secrets.

_**Not my favorite chapter, but it went where I needed it to go. What do you think?**_


	14. Almost a Moment

**_Chapter 14. Okay so I am not sure when my little baby got so big, but here is chapter 14. I am actually really fond of this chapter. I hope you will be to. Anyway. Enjoy._**

_**Disclaimer: Not mine.**_

_**Spoilers: None**_

"I thought we were leaving Rostov tonight," Jenny said as she sat on the bed watching Gibbs throw a few final things into his suitcase.

"We were, but apparently my agents couldn't find a flight out until tomorrow morning," he replied closing the lid of the suitcase.

"I can't imagine that there is a lot of traffic from Rostov to Istanbul," Jenny remarked.

"Do you want to go out to dinner?" Gibbs asked suddenly. He cursed silently to himself realizing that a comment, which he had intended to pull off as nonchalant, had come out as anything but. "Because you really wanted to last time we were here and that never really happened," he amended.

Jenny smiled at that. She knew he was trying to keep up his tough, manly, indifferent persona that he used so often, but she could see the cracks in the mask. "I'd love to go out to dinner," she told him with another smile, "Where do you want to go?"

"That's your choice," he told her, "just not…" His sentence drifted off because he did not know the name of the restaurant, but Jenny knew which on he meant. He meant the one they had tried to go to last time.

"How about that little diner down by the river?" Jenny suggested.

"As you wish," Gibbs replied. Jenny smirked at him knowing that the Princess Bride reference was almost certainly accidental.

Together the pair made their way down onto the street and started walking towards the river. A cool breeze rustled past them as they walked, and Jenny was struck by just how much this reminded her of what had happened ten years ago.

Here they were on the dark streets of Rostov walking towards a restaurant. A cool breeze was blowing around them, and the only noise came from the bars that resided on streets a few blocks away. Occasionally Jenny even felt Gibbs hand brush against hers.

Of course it was different now. More than a decade had past since that night, and that decade had brought with it changes, both good and bad, that Jenny could feel the effects of in the air around her. For one thing, she knew that tonight Gibbs was not only carrying his standard issue gun, but also his back up. A decade ago he had been unarmed. Of course, she still carried her standard issue and the twenty-two she had carried a decade ago.

"We're here," Gibbs remarked suddenly, pulling Jenny out of her thoughts. "After you," he told her as he pulled the door open. She smiled and entered the building. Seconds later a young waiter appeared and led Jenny off to a table without a second look at Gibbs.

Gibbs followed the two of them and as he and Jenny sat down he shot the waiter a nasty look. No one was allowed to give Jenny the look the waiter was giving her. The waiter got the hint and left quickly.

"It's beautiful," Jenny murmured looking out over the water.

"Yes," Gibbs replied looking at her, "It is."

"Why don't we have more memories like this?" she asked him after a moment. It had always bothered her that ninety percent of the memories she and Gibbs shared were of car chases and shoot outs not moonlit dinners.

"I don't know," Gibbs replied knowing exactly what she meant, "because we always put work ahead of our relationship."

Jenny nodded as she turned away from the window. "I guess you have a point."

"We could always change that," Gibbs offered placing his hand on top of hers on the table.

"We could," Jenny agreed.

"Maybe we should," Gibbs added.

"Maybe…" Jenny murmured leaning across the table.

Gibbs did not speak. His response was in his actions as he too leaned forward. Gently he placed his hand on Jenny's cheek slowly caressing her skin. His other hand brushed her hair back from her face and came to rest on the back of her neck. Jenny closed her eyes and breathed out very slowly.

It felt so right. Even after a decade apart, it felt right for Gibbs to be holding her this way. She knew he felt the same because he did not pull away from her. For several moments, neither one of them moved. It was as if the moment had frozen and neither one could break it.

Jenny could feel his breath on her cheek and the warmth of his hands on her face. It was almost intoxicating to know that if either one of them moved just a few more inches forward there lips would meet. How nice that would be. A smile played across Jenny's lips at the thought.

Then as if some silent signal had been given the pair leaned towards each other. Jenny's heart beat a little faster. It was only a few centimeters of distance now.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Jenny and Gibbs jumped apart as if they touched by scalding water, and Gibbs snatched up his cell phone.

"This better be pretty damn good, DiNozzo," Gibbs informed his agent annoyed.

"We've got a plane scheduled to leave in two hours," Tony's voice crackled over the line, "Where should we meet?'

"You round up the others," Gibbs told him, "and the Director and I will meet you back at our hotel in an hour."

"Yes boss," Tony answered a little meekly. He had clearly picked up on the fact that he had interrupted something that would have been best left uninterrupted.

Gibbs hung up and turned back to his dinning companion.

"What's up?" Jenny asked.

"We've got a flight in two hours," Gibbs explained, "We're meeting the others at the hotel in an hour."

"Alright then," Jenny replied. Her cheeks had a slight pinkish tinge to them.

That was all that needed to be said. The evening would still be pleasant, but the magic of the moment had been broken and could not be revived. They both knew that. No words were needed.

_**Did you like it? Please Please Please tell me. **_


	15. Istanbul 1998

**_I'm back. I know you missed me so much. Actually I don't know if you missed me, but I am sorry for not updating. Either way, here is the new chapter. It is a little more fun than normal. I hope you like it._**

_**Spoilers: None**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own them.**_

SEPTEMBER 1998

"Jen," Jethro called though the door, "We need to go now."

"Who's Jen?" asked a light, cheerful, female voice from behind the door.

"Sorry," Jethro replied with a role of his eyes, "Soph, we need to go now."

"Alright," Jenny told him as she opened the door of the bathroom, "just zip me up will you?"

His jaw dropped as his partner stepped into the light. She was wearing a stunning black dress, the bottom of which feel just above her ankles revealing her black high heels. He had seen the dress on the hanger, but that was nothing compared to how it looked with the single black strap running over Jenny's left shoulder and the flowing fabric hugging the curves of her body.

"Jethro," she told him exasperatedly, "You have seen the dress before now will you zip it up so we can get going."

"Who's Jethro?" he asked absentmindedly, resisting the urge to point out the fact that it was not the dress he was staring at. Slowly he reach out and took that zipper and closed the back of the dress. "There you go."

"Thank you," she told him with a radiant smile as she turned back to face him, letting her shinning red hair fall into its natural position, "You ready to go Thomas."

"After you," he said extending his arm, which she took with a smirk and a shake of the head, "My lady."

"Thank you good sir,' she replied, deciding that she liked playing along with the charade much better than she liked pointing out that it was several decades out of date. Then again she did not really know what to expect from the ball they were going to except for the fact that there was supposed to be an international arms deal there.

"It's nice to know we choose out social gatherings well," Jethro added is if he had been reading her thoughts. They both laughed at that.

-0- -0- -0-

"Thomas and Sophie Willows," the doorman announced to the room as Jethro and Jenny walked down the stairs onto the dance floor. Jethro's face was straight and emotionless, but Jenny was beaming around at the crowd. At least that was what it looked like. He was pretty sure that she was, in fact, scanning the room for their target.

"Shall we dance?" she asked him suddenly her eyes trained on a figure on the other side of the room.

"Hum," he said distractedly following her gaze, "Oh," he said realizing what she was seeing, "Yes, I think that would be a good idea."

Slowly the moved out on too the dance floor and began to twirl around with the rest of the guests. Jethro's eyes were on his partner's face, but hers never left their target. The arms dealer did not move until they were with in feet of them. Then he moved next to them.

"May I help you?" he asked Jenny. Clearly he had not missed her stare. Jethro tightened his grip on his partner, as if by holding her tightly enough he could prevent anything happening to her however Jenny did not tense at all. Gently she pulled away from him.

"It's you," she replied with a feigned excitement and a rather strange accent. The look of confusion on both men's faces was priceless, but Jenny ignored them and continued with her charade, hoping she could do it well enough to get her and Jethro out of the dance in one piece.

"Do I know you?" the arms dealer asked looking at Jenny as though trying to place her.

"Of course you know me," Jenny said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "We went to high school together." Carefully moving over enough to step on Jethro's foot because he mouth was hanging wide open. Getting her hint, he closed it.

"Did we now?" the arms dealer asked searching Jenny's face for any hint of a lie, "I don't remember the name Sophie Willows."

"Oh that," Jenny said with a laugh trying to buy herself time as she continued to think of a cover story, "Well, that wasn't my name then," she paused before adding in a conspiratorial whisper, "I changed it few years back. Did some things in my past that weren't actually what you would call," she paused again, but this time it was for affect, "legal."

"Oh really," he said seemingly interested, "Like what?"

"Oh no," Jenny said with a giggle that almost made Jethro choke on the drink he had grabbed from the passing waiter, "I could never tell an upstanding citizen like you what I'd done. It's real secret that."

"What if I were to tell you I was," he lowered his voice so no one around them could hear, "less than an upstanding citizen." Jethro had to clench his teeth at that. He did not like the arms dealer flirting with his partner, but he could not do anything about it without blowing their cover.

"Well then," Jenny told him with a flirtatious smile, "I would tell you it had something to do smuggling weapons." It was beautiful she thought to herself. You could almost see the gears turning in the man's head. She had found their way into his ring.

"Really what kind of smuggling," he asked in what he clearly intended to be a nonchalant voice, but it was very difficult to discuss international weapons smuggling and remain nonchalant.

"All kinds. I'm really not—Oh look at the time," she exclaimed looking down at her watch, "We need to get going Thomas." She looked back at the arms deal, "Real important business I hope you'll excuse us." She took Jethro by the arm and began to lead him back across the room.

"Wait," the arms dealer called after her, "How could I get in touch with you if I had say," he pause considering carefully, "a business proposition."

"Oh well," she said with a smile, "I'll pick up this number any time. Just give a ring." She pulled out a card, wrote a phone number on it, and handed it too him. Then she turned and walked with Jethro falling in her wake. Neither spoke until they were outside the ballroom, and several streets away. Then Jethro turned to look at his still smirking partner.

"That," he told her fervently, "Was the best story you have ever come up with."

Hehe…this was a rather fun chapter to write. Please review and tell me what you thought.

_**One more note: I have mid-terms coming up for school so realistically, don't expect another chapter before about mid to late December. I may get one up earlier, but don't count on it. **_


	16. Conversations in a Cellar

_**Chapter 16. I'm back…I know it has been like a month but I did tell you it probably would be. One the up side I passed all my midterms and I finished one of my other two multichapter fics. That means I can concentrate on this one. I'm sure that makes you all happy. I am also sure you want me to stop rambling so you can read the chapter. Anyway I hope you like it.**_

_**Spoilers: None**_

_**Disclaimer: I own Ethan. I do not own Kate.**_

"Wake up," Ethan whispered in Kate's ear.

"Five more minutes," she murmured groggily, trying to roll away from Ethan.

"No," he insisted gently shaking her, "now."

That was all it took. Seconds later Kate's eyes flew open, and she sat up. "What's going on?"

"Nothing yet," he replied, "but I think they are about to move us and we will all be happier if you are awake first."

Kate nodded in agreement and moved so she was leaning against the wall next to Ethan. "Do you know where they are taking us this time?"

"No," Ethan replied with a regretful shake of the head, "but then again we only figured out that this was Istanbul because one of the guards was stupid enough to be taking about it at the top of the stairs. I do not believe they will make the same mistake twice."

"Touché," she replied with a shake of the head, "and it wouldn't really make much difference if we knew would it? We have no way to tell anybody who might be able to help us."

"That, my love," Ethan told her with something close to a smile, "is where you are wrong." Reaching into one of the very deepest pockets of his jacket, he pulled out a small piece of white chalk, which he held up to the very grimy window.

Kate looked at it in slight amazement. "Where did you get that?" she asked him impressed.

"I've carried a piece of chalk with me since I could walk," he replied lowering the chalk away from the window, "Ziva carried one too for a very long time, but I do not know if she does anymore. She might have stopped after…" his voice drifted off.

"After what," Kate prompted gently.

"After Tali was killed," he explained quietly, and Kate could tell, from his slightly blank stare, that he was not seeing the wall in front of him. He was watching event from years ago. "Ziva was very angry with a lot of people. Mother for not caring…me for not coming home to the funeral," he swallowed the guilt he still felt for that and continued talking, "herself for not being the one who was killed…but mostly it was Father for not doing something more to protect her baby sister. For months she would not talk to him, and in those months she tried to remove any hint of his influence from her person. I do not know if the chalk was part of that scourge or whether, if it was, she replaced when she made her peace."

"Wow," Kate told him unsure of what else to say, "I never knew that about Ziva."

"Hardly anybody does," Ethan replied, "I love my sister, but her ability to share the things closest to her even with those she loves is not one of her winning qualities."

Kate almost smiled at that. "Is it a Mosad thing?" she asked him after a moment.

"Carrying the chalk around with you or being very guarded?" he asked not knowing which topic she was continuing with.

"I meant the chalk," she replied, "but either works."

"Then no," he told her, "the chalk is not a Mosad thing. Our Father required us to carry it when we were children in case we were kidnapped. If we ever were kidnapped we were to use it to mark the cell in some way." He paused. "As for not trusting people, I think that is both a Mosad thing and a product of the family Ziva and I were raised in. Our parents split when we were small. We were signed to a Mosad before we were teenagers. It is not really a trust inducive environment."

"I'm sorry," Kate told him not really sure what the correct response was.

"Don't be," he replied. There was a pause where he watched her face very carefully. He could see the question forming in her mind and waited for her to ask it.

"Do you trust me?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," he replied without a moment's hesitation, "always." Leaning forward he brushed his lips against hers, and she smiled.

"Now where should we mark the cell," she asked him.

"I was thinking that about here would be good," he replied pointing to a spot that was low enough on the wall to be unobtrusive, but high enough for it to be noticeable if someone was looking.

"Go for it," Kate agreed, watching as her husband took the chalk and drew two over lapping letters on the wall. "Do you think they'll get it?" she asked him when he finished.

"I would think so," he replied studying his work, "I think it is rather obvious."

Before Kate had time to reply, the door at the top of the stairs banged open, and the cellar was flooded with bright, artificial light. Automatically, Ethan took Kate's hand in his and squeezed it. She squeezed back and tried to smile reassuringly.

"Get up,' one of the guards yelled at Kate and Ethan as he reached the bottom step. Roughly he grabbed Kate by the arm and pulled her to her feet so forcefully that she whimpered in pain.

"Watch it," one of the other guards instructed the first, "People won't pay for damaged goods."

"Oh I don't know," the guard holding Kate replied, "I'd pay for this one even if she was damaged."

"Leave her alone," Ethan hissed.

"You want your little girlfriend," the guard asked preparing to bait Ethan, but at a look from one of the other guards he stopped, "take her." Roughly he pushed Kate back towards Ethan who caught her. "Now come on. We have a schedule to meet."

Kate and Ethan exchanged a look as they began to climb the stairs, and Kate looked back over she shoulder as if to check that their mark was still there. It was, and she hoped that it would be when whoever was trying to save them arrived in this cellar.

**_After the amount of time I have neglected this story for I don't know if anyone is actually paying attention to it, but I would love to hear from you if you are. Please Review. Another chapter should be up soonish._**


	17. The Fifth Letter

_**Chapter 17. Wow. A year ago I was sitting in this very same living room writing the very last chapter to Salad. Now I am seventeen chapters into its sequel…and nowhere close to done. I'm not going to lie. I got completely hooked on Burn Notice these past two weeks and that has made it really difficult for me to focus on anything else. I am trying, but I don't think this one turned out as good as it should have. Still I need the plot developments in this chapter. Hope you like it better than I do. Enjoy.**_

_**Spoilers: None**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters.**_

"It's a beautiful building," Ziva offered looking up at the building in front of them. It had to be centuries old, and its architecture was absolutely wonderful. The only thing that marred the building was that all its windows and doors had been boarded up.

"It was even more beautiful when it was open and functioning," Jenny said as she too looked at the building. In her minds eye, she could still see light pouring from the windows and hear laughter floating though the air.

"Still this has to be the place right?" Paula asked, "I mean is there anywhere else that makes sense for us to come."

"Not if these guys are going to play it the way the did in Rostov," Jenny replied, "This is an abandoned building. The other places we worked this operation from were an open market place and a hotel room."

"Couldn't the hotel room work?" McGee asked.

"Building was demolished five years ago," Gibbs replied shortly, "this is it."

"Damn," Jenny murmured quietly. Then in response to Gibbs raised eyebrow she added, "I didn't want to have to break in." Gibbs shook his head with a small smile.

"You don't have to," Ziva replied coolly, "There is a window broken around back. They clearly want you to enter there, which is a significant risk."

"No," Jenny said after a moment of though, "No it's not. They have had two opportunities to kill me or us or whoever they want to kill, and none of us really sleep in very protected houses at home. If they wanted us dead we'd be dead."

Gibbs nodded in agreement. "Let's go." That was all that needed to be said, and the six of them turned and walked around the back of the building, where they found the broken window.

"It opens," Ziva pointed out after a moment of contemplation, "They only broke the glass to grab our attention." She paused. "And it would be much easier to blame the damage on some kids if it is broken." There was a pause then Ziva moved forward and pulled open the window. Then without a second glance she slid though the space and into the room beyond.

"Go," Jenny said pointing to McGee and Gibbs. They did as they were told, and Paula, Tony, and Jenny were left standing outside. Jenny turned to looked and the other two. "Ziva is being reckless," she told them, "I need you two to see if you can find anyway to help her because if this continues she is going to get herself or, more likely, someone else hurt."

"Alright," Paula agreed nodding and nudging Tony so he nodded too.

"Good," Jenny told them, "Now let's go."

Within a moment they were all standing in a dark cobwebbed room, which looked all too familiar to both Jenny and Gibbs. Flashlight beams darted from wall to wall and corner to corner. Quickly the group split up and began searching the room. It was a large space, but the six of them were able to cover the ground pretty quickly. There was nothing.

"So you would have made the deal about hear," Paula asked trying to approach the search a different way.

"Give or take," Jenny replied exchanging a look with Gibbs, "I mean that was twelve years ago in the light with a different furniture arrangement."

"Close enough," Paula said starting to turn slowly in a circle.

"Or we could try this," Ziva said tersely with her hand on a lever, which had been disguised as a candlestick. This might have been more convincing if it had not been sitting in the middle of a long abandoned building. Without a moment of hesitation, she pulled it hard towards her.

For a moment nothing happened. Then the floor beneath Paula's feet gave way, and she fell the hole into darkness below. Everyone move forward around the hall to look down, but the hole was dark.

"Paula," Tony asked slowly, "Can you hear me?"

"I'm fine," she replied from what sounded like several feet below them, "Whoever is doing this seems pretty intent on not killing us. There's a mattress down here."

"Good," Jenny replied trying very hard to avoid looking at Ziva. Something was going on with her friend, but it needed to be sorted out very soon. Under normal circumstances everyone would have moved to the side of the room before the lever was pulled or at the very least checked the floor. It was only pure luck that Paula had not gotten badly hurt.

"There's also a ladder," Paula told the rest of them, "Give me a second."

A few moments later a ladder appeared poking though the hole in the floor and the other five members of the team clambered through it. Flashlights danced across the walls, but this time there was something to find. Jenny and Gibbs both stopped their beam on a white envelope in the far corner.

Slowly the two of them approached the letter as Paula and McGee watched. Ziva and Tony however had their eyes trained on something else. There was some kind of symbol drawn on the wall in white chalk.

"Is it a Hebrew symbol?" Tony asked staring at it.

"No," Ziva said shortly.

"Is it some kind of code Ethan would have used?" he tried again.

"No," she snapped back.

"Then what do you think it is?" he asked her starting to get frustrated.

"I thought it was rather obvious," she told him before turning on her heal and climbing back up the ladder. There were several moments of silence before Paula moved to stand next to Tony.

"It's a K written on top of an E," she told him. Her tone was nicer that it usually was with him. The joking, biting edge was gone. "It's proof Kate and Ethan were here, and they are alive."

_**So that is a great way to start the New Year. Ziva is going off the deep end, and things are about to start coming apart at the seams. But you know that everyone will get it together in the end. Or do you. Please Review either way.**_

_**Hope you have a very good start to the New Year.**_


	18. A Visit From the Home Front

_**Chapter 18. I thought it was about time we heard from someone back on the home front so I brought in Abby. I am not going to lie though…I am not entirely sure how much I like this chapter. I hope you do though…Enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters**_

_**Spoilers: Minimum Security. **_

"McGee," Abby shrieked delightedly as his face appeared on the video chat screen in front of her.

"Hey Abby," McGee greeted her with a fond smile, "how are you doing?"

"It's really boring around here," she told him with her nose wrinkled, "and there is no one to talk to. How's it going there?"

"A little too exciting and nobody is talking because everyone is yelling," McGee said jerking his head towards the wall behind him where Tony and Ziva's raised voices could be heard.

Suddenly there was a knock on McGee's hotel room door. He shot a look at Abby, who shrugged and attempted to turn her head in a way that allowed her to see into the room, which was of course impossible. Quickly McGee walked over to the door and opened it some to reveal Paula standing on the other side.

"Can I come in?" she asked him.

"Um sure," McGee said slowly stepping aside so she could enter the room. Paula, like Abby and Ziva, was one of those women whom he feared saying no to because there was a decent chance that they would then resort to violence as a means of persuasion.

"Who is it McGee?" Abby called to him from the computer scene, rather frustrated at not knowing what was going on.

"Is that Abby?" Paula asked walking over to look at the computer.

"Hi Paula," the woman on the screen greeted the new arrival, "What are you doing here?"

"Hiding," Paula replied with a grimace as she pulled a second chair up next to the desk, "my hotel room just turned into a battlefield," she paused for a moment before adding, "again."

"Is it that bad?" McGee asked, but at that exact moment a large crash from the other side of the wall, which sounded as though something large and glass had been thrown, caused all three of them to duck.

"Does that answer your question?" Paula asked a little grimly.

"This is really bad," Abby told the other to desperately.

"Yep," Paula agreed as McGee nodded.

"So what are you going to do?" Abby demanded of the other two.

"Why us?" McGee asked her, "You're much better at this kind of thing."

"Well thank you," Abby replied with a satisfied smile that quickly turned into a glare, "but if I am not allowed to come then I refuse to solve whatever problems occur in my absence." McGee looked to Paula for help, but neither one of them could argue with that announcement so they turned back to Abby. "Paula," Abby said with a smile, "You're a woman, too. What would you do in this situation?"

"I would stand back and let them sort it out," she replied with a shrug. The fact that she was sitting here talking to the two of them instead of in her room with Tony and Ziva attested to the fact that she had already chosen her method of dealing with the situation.

"Good," Abby said her tone slightly patronizing as if she were teaching a class, "and why is this a good idea?"

"Because getting in the middle of another couple's fight is always a bad idea, but in this case both parties are heavily armed," Paula replied offhandedly, "and it is never a good idea to mediate your ex-boyfriend's fight with his current girlfriend."

Abby, who had been nodding her head up and down in agreement, froze and McGee's jaw dropped. Paula just closed her eyes and smiled an ironic smile.

"You both totally forgot I dated Tony," Paula said with a shake of her head. It was not a question. It was a statement. In the time since she had gotten her own team and they had come to work alongside Gibbs' team, she had said nothing about her past relationship with Tony for fear it would cause unnecessary tension. However she had always assumed that they all remembered. Clearly she had been wrong.

Of course it was only after letting the cat out of the bag that she remembered that most of them would have no reason to remember. McGee had not yet joined the team when she and Tony were together. Abby and Ducky had been back in DC, while she and Tony had been in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Ethan did not know any of them at the point, and neither did Ziva. That only left Tony, Kate, and Gibbs. They all remembered, but she was also pretty sure there was not going to be much tension from them.

"You dated Tony," Abby choked out.

"Yea," Paula said with a nod and a small grimace.

"When," McGee asked still trying to wrap his head around the concept of Paula and Tony as a couple.

"It was six or seven years," Paula told them trying to shake it off with shrug of her shoulders, "You guys had a case that took you to Guantanamo Bay were I was stationed and one thing led to another and something clicked between us. We stayed together a little while after we both came back to the states, but I got stationed somewhere else so I had to leave, and that was the end of that."

"Wow," Abby said slightly shocked, "I always thought Tony was the kiss and tell type."

"Yea," Paula said, "About that. Don't tell anyone it because I really don't think Tony and Ziva need another problem at the moment." They both nodded their assent, and the three fell into silence for a few moments. Unfortunately, the silence was broken quickly.

"Leave me alone," Ziva yelled so loudly that her voice was clear even though the wall.

"Alright," Tony replied angrily banging on McGee's door, "Let me in." The three people inside the room exchanged a glance,

"I have to go," Abby said with a small nod to each of them and with that she vanished leaving Paula and McGee staring at the door. Finally McGee got up and opened the door, but Tony had vanished.

_**It turned out alright and gave me a decent idea for the next chapter so it was not a total loss…Hope you enjoyed it…please tell me what you though…**_


	19. A Conversation

_**Chapter 19. I meant to have this up this weekend but things got busy…so here it is. I absolutely hated it when I wrote it but I think the elves snuck in the middle of the night and fixed it up. In other words, It is still not my favorite chapter but it will do to be going on with. Enjoy.**_

_**Spoilers: none**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any one in this chapter**_

Paula was slightly winded when she reached the ground level of the hotel because she had run down the three flights of stair as opposed to waiting for the elevator. However she barely paused for breath as she briskly walked outside. The air was cool and crisp, and it felt good to be outside. She wondered briefly if this was why Tony had left the hotel, but she pushed that thought out of her head because she knew perfectly well that it was not.

Suddenly she saw his figure sitting on a park bench about a hundred feet in front of her. Quickly she moved toward him, but closer she got the slower her feet seemed to go. She did not know what had made her follow him, and she was not sure quiet what she was going to say to him. She had just known instinctively that following him was the right thing to do.

She was just a few feet behind that bench Tony was sitting on now, but she did not make a move. Why had she followed him? What instinct was responsible for that? Maybe it came from years of being his friend. Maybe it came from being his ex-lover. Maybe it came from something else completely different. Before she could think about it much more her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"I know you're there," Tony told her without looking at her or even lifting his head.

"How?" Paula asked more as a conversation starter than because she had actually been surprised by him discovering her presence.

"You have a very distinctive smell," he told her, and then he paused before adding, "and plus I could practically hear you thinking."

"Funny," she told him, sitting down next to him on the bench.

"What do you want?" Tony asked her.

"You know perfectly well what I want," Paula replied. Neither one of them was looking at the other. They were both staring out over the duck pond in front of them as though it would offer some great solution to the current problem.

"What did I do wrong?" Tony asked her after a moment, and Paula was almost shocked at the tone of his voice. She had known Tony for more than half a decade now, and he was a very different person now than he was when she had met him. When they had first met he had been a player. What a woman looked like had meant everything to him, and what she was really like was of little or no consequence. Things were different now…

"You really love her." It was not a question or an answer to the one he had asked. It was a statement of fact, and the proof was written all over Tony's face. "She loves you," Paula said finally.

"Then why won't she even talk to me?" Tony asked.

"It's a hard time for her," Paula said slowly. To be honest she could really only guess at what Ziva was thinking because she did not know Ziva all that well. "Her brother had been kidnapped, and she does not know if she will ever see them again. I think that would put anyone on edge."

"But she could still talk to me," Tony pointed out, "she knows that, right?"

"I think that normally she would," Paula replied very cautiously, "but the strenuous a situation gets, the more likely people are to regress back to their basic instinct. She grew up in a place where her basic instinct was not to trust anyone but herself. For the most part she trusts all of you, but her basic instinct is not to."

"So what should I do?" he asked her. There was no real emotion in his tone. There was only a sound of determination.

"Give her some space but stay close enough that if she needs you she knows where to find you," Paula suggested.

"You think that will work?" Tony asked. His tone was no longer desperate as it had been when they began. Instead it was a mix concern and determination. Paula would never admit it, at least not in front of Tony, but she was proud of how much he had grown up over the past few years.

"I'm not sure," Paula replied honestly, "I can't speak for Ziva, you know that, but that's the best advice I can give you."

"Well," Tony told her with a serious look, "Thank you for that."

"Anytime," Paula replied not smiling either. It was a strange conversation, not because of the topic, but because it was honest and simple. There was no veiled content, and there was no hidden agenda.

"Will you talk to Ziva for me?" Tony asked after a moment.

"No," Paula replied, and this time she smiled, "You get to do that one on your own." Before Tony could respond there was a loud buzzing, and Paula pulled her phone out of her jacked. Quickly she read the text message and sent a reply. Then she looked at Tony. "Gibbs wants us upstairs ASAP," she told him.

"Alright," Tony replied standing up, "Then we better go." Paula nodded and stood up as well. She paused for a fraction of a second before adding one final note her previous conversation.

"This is a really stressful time for everyone," she reminded him, "Everything will be better when this is over."

"I'm sure your right," Tony told her with a disingenuous nod. Then he turned and walked away from her back into the building.

Paula sighed as she watched him walk away. She wasn't sure how much of what she had said had gotten through to him, but she hoped some of it had. However more than anything, she prayed that she had not just told a lie or at the very least, if fate chose to make her a liar, that it do it in a way that her words would not come back to haunt her.

_**Cool. Hope you liked it. I am going to do every in my power to get another chapter posted Saturday because that is the one year anniversary…so see you then. Please review.**_


	20. The Perks of Amsterdam

_**Chapter 20. Well this story is officially the same length as the story that it is the sequel to…and I am no where near done with it. I guess that is good new… As I mentioned in the previous chapter…Wine and Water is now officially one year old (okay so the anniversary was yesterday…). That makes it my longest running story. Hooray!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anyone in this chapter.**_

_**Spoilers: None.**_

With in a few moments the entire team was assembled in Jenny and Gibb's hotel room. Ziva was sitting in the desk chair and pointedly avoiding looking at Tony. Paula, Tony, and McGee were sitting on the foot of the bed, and they too were pointedly looking anywhere, but straight in front of them where Jenny and Gibbs were standing.

"As you may remember," Jenny told them, "we found another letter in the basement of the empty hall. It is the same in terms of format. There were four line of words, which I think we can safely presume are from a song."

"Shouldn't we check that out?" Paula asked, wondering how they would figure out the meaning of the message if they did not know the song.

"We don't need to," Jenny replied with a small shrug, "The lyrics are fairly explicit in where we are supposed to go next. Take a look." She handed the piece of paper she had been holding to Paula, who looked at it.

_We should be together, and maybe we just might_

_If you could only meet me somewhere in Europe tonight_

_I remember Amsterdam as we sailed along the canal_

_And as the leaves began to fall, we were walking in old Bruxelles_

"So is it Amsterdam or Bruxelles?" Tony asked after reading the lines of script over Paula's shoulder.

"Amsterdam," Jenny said hesitantly, throwing a quick look over her shoulder at Gibbs who nodded. "Amsterdam," she repeated more confidently. Ziva grimaced and made a small sound of displeasure. "What?" Jenny asked turning to look at her friend.

"I don't like Amsterdam," Ziva reminded Jenny, her tone never wavering from the calm professional one she had been using for the past few days.

"Oh yea," Jenny replied more to herself that to Ziva, "I forgot about that." Back when she and Ziva had been working as a team in Europe, they had run a mission in Amsterdam, and Ziva had told Jenny about a previous mission she had had with Mossad. It had been based in Amsterdam and it had gone less than well. As a result, Ziva tended to avoid the city as much as possible. In fact Jenny was fairly sure that Ziva had not set foot in the country, let alone the city, since their mission in 2002. "You don't have to go if you don't want to," Jenny offered knowing Ziva wound not take her up on it.

"We both know I do," Ziva replied quietly. There was a large sense of duty that ruled over her life, and there always had been. It was the reason that, while she was in Mossad, she went places she hated and did things she resented for people she despised. Now it was the reason that she would go back to a city she hated. It was her duty to protect her brother. She could not walk away from him…or the rest of them.

"Why is this one explicit?" McGee asked looking at the piece of paper Paula had passed him, "I mean the other ones were sort of cryptic. This one just comes flat out and says it."

"Well," Paula pointed out, "there are only a certain number of songs about Amsterdam. It isn't exactly a city that attracts pop culture references, like, I don't know, Paris." She had just picked a city at random, but Jenny and Gibbs both visibly stiffened.

"Diamonds are Forever," Tony said suddenly, and they all looked at him. Shaking his head he explained, "It is a Bond movies from the early 70s. Part of it is set in Amsterdam."

"See something good about Amsterdam already," Paula commented sarcastically to Ziva, who almost smiled.

"There are lots other things too," McGee offered quickly, "There are the canales, museums…" his voice drifted off as he tried to figure out another attraction.

"The Red Light District," Tony supplied with a smile, and the room froze. McGee's expression was one of shock at what had just happen and fear of what was about to. Jenny and Gibbs had both exchanged a look. They knew perfectly well what a spectacular blunder Tony had just made. Paula did too, and she shook her head. Tony may have matured greatly over the past few years, but he still had moments were he was just completely oblivious to how other people would react to what he said.

For a moment, Ziva made absolutely no response what so ever. Then she spoke and her voice sounded just slightly choked, "I am sure you'll enjoy that," she told Tony. He opened his mouth to speak, but she turned to look at Jenny, "I take it we are flying to Amsterdam tomorrow morning." It was more of a statement than a question, and Jenny nodded. "Well then," Ziva said, "I think I will turn in early then." With that she turned on her heal and began to walk towards the door.

"Ziva wait," Tony said softly, but either she didn't hear him or she didn't care what he had to say because a without even breaking stride, she left the room and slammed the door behind her.

For several minutes there was silence. Then Paula spoke, "I think I'll turn in too." She was not particularly tired nor did she particularly want to go back to her room knowing that Ziva be there and probably very angry. However at that moment anything seemed better than staying in the tensely silent room any longer.

So she waved goodbye and made her way back to her own room. The lights were already off, and she did not bother to turn them on. Instead she made her way to the bathroom and changed into her pajamas. A few minutes later she pulled the comforter back on her bed and climbed in.

"Night Ziva," she said mostly for the sake of politeness. There was no response, but Paula could have sworn her heard a muffled sob from the other side of the room.

_**So what did you think? I had a bit of trouble with it, which is why I did not get it posted yesterday...well that and it was my birthday and I kind of got distracted doing other things... Please review. **_

_**By the way: The song I used in the chapter is called 'Somewhere in Europe' and it is by (or at least the version I like is by) Bagatelle. It is absolutely a wonderful song, and probably my favorite of the ones I have used so far.**_


	21. Amsterdam 1998

_**Chapter 21. I am not going to lie. The flashback chapters have been my favorite in this whole story. So here is another one and I really like it. I hope you do too. I should also probably remind you that because this scene was set over twelve years before the story is set that Jenny and Gibbs were very different people then… Enjoy.**_

_**Spoilers: None**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Gibbs or Jenny**_

OCTOBER 1998

"It's so beautiful," Jenny remarked letting out a satisfied sigh as she looked out over the canal. They had been trapped inside of a building for the past two weeks with nothing to do but count everyone who went on, off, or near the USS Pleiades, a navy ship that had been under investigation for dealing illegal drugs. Their investigation had ended the day before when a petty officer came forward and provided the names of everyone involved along with proof.

"It is a nice little city," Jethro replied with a small smile watching the light play across his partner's face.

"To bad we don't get to see any of it," she commented, her tone a mix of bitterness and sadness.

"We can," he offered holding up two tickets, "I picked these up this morning." Jenny tipped her head a little to the side trying to figure out what the tickets were for. "They are for a little canal cruise." Jethro then watched with some amount of pleasure as Jenny's eyes lit up and the glum expression was replaced by a radiant smile.

"Thank you," she told him, and she leaned forward to place a soft kiss on his check.

Jethro could have sworn he felt his face turn scarlet. "The boat leaves in fifteen minutes so we should probably get down to the docks," he suggested, and she nodded. Hand in hand they set off for the dock.

-0- -0- -0-

"Beautiful," Jethro murmured not realizing he spoken out loud.

"I know," Jenny replied, "I would kill like a view for this outside my bedroom window."

"I wasn't taking about the scenery," he replied almost involuntarily, and Jenny turned to look at him.

"Oh?" she asked him raising one eyebrow with a soft smile, "Then what?"

"You," he replied simply.

"Thank you," she told him with a soft chuckle.

"No need to thank me," he replied staring at spot just over her left shoulder because he could not quite bring himself to have this conversation looking in her eyes, "any other guy in this city could tell you the same thing."

"Maybe," Jenny replied, "but you were the only one who did."

There was a pause, and in that moment Jethro decided it was time to throw caution to the wind. "Do you remember when you were shot in Rostov?" he asked her, and he was grateful when she just nodded instead of pointing out how stupid of a question that was. "Well I made a promise to myself that if you," he paused considering his word choice.

"Survived," she supplied for him, and he nodded gratefully

"Then I would tell you the truth," he finished looking at her, "except I never got up the courage to do it."

"Okay," Jenny replied gently, encouraging him continue with what he was saying.

"I love you," he told her, "I know romance between agents is frowned upon and if you don't want to or you don't feel the same way then you can—" His speech halted abruptly as Jenny's lips closed over his in a soft sweet kiss.

After a few seconds, they broke apart, and Jethro looked down at his partner still a little taken aback at her response. Jenny's eyes were sparking again, but somehow this seemed like a different kind a sparkle than the one he had seen earlier that day. If anything the sparkle was more radiant and more beautiful.

"I love you too," she told him.

"Really?" he asked not quite daring to believe the words he though he was hearing.

"Really," Jenny replied, and Jethro could tell by conviction in her voice that she truly meant it.

"So does that mean you want to be couple?" Jethro asked just slightly hesitantly. He wanted to be absolutely sure they were on the same page before he made another move.

"I kind of though that was implied," she replied tilting her head a little to the side and looking up at him.

"Well," he told her feeling his face turn red again, "relationships between agents aren't exactly popular with the powers that be."

"Well then," Jenny said leaning in close to him, and he could feel his heart beat faster, either from anticipation of what she was about to say or purely because of her proximity, "I say screw the authorities. I want to be with you. I don't see how that is any of their business."

Jethro allowed a wide smile to spread across his face for the first time during the entire conversation. In the months since Rostov he had come up with several dozen possible ways that conversation could have happened. Some were bad. Some were good. Some were very good. However none of them came anywhere close to comparing to the real thing.

Jenny was equally as pleased. She had not seen it coming…well okay that was not entirely true…she had known that Jethro had felt something other that friendship towards her because of the way he had been acting, but she had not expected him to actually do something about it. That said she was ecstatic that he had because well…she felt the exact same way and probably would not have had the guts to do anything about it.

"So what happens now?" she whispered quietly as the boat they were on approached one of the many bridges that spanned the canal.

"What do you want to happen?" he asked just as quietly.

There was a pause, and Jenny chuckled slightly. "Well when you put it that way," she told him as boat was plunged into near darkness by the bridge it was passing under.

Slowly she leaned forward again and closed the distance between the two of them, and she placed her lips on his for the second time as they reemerged into the bright sunlight.

It was a whole new world…for him…for her…for them…

_**So what did you think? I had fun with it… Please review and tell me what you thought.**_


	22. Other Options

_**Chapter 22. Yes I know it has been forever since I updated and I am sorry but let's face it. I am actually doing better on this story this than I was last time this year. (How pathetic is that?) Anyway here is a new chapter and hopefully I will get some more written this week but no promises. Enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anyone in this chapter.**_

_**Spoilers: None**_

"There has got to be someplace else," Gibbs told her in a hushed voice, knowing perfectly well that all four of the other agents had their ears pressed to the door.

"There isn't," Jenny replied equally quietly.

"What about the safe house?" he asked.

"It was destroyed about five years ago," she told him.

"So that just leaves the…" he sighed and did not bother to finish the sentence.

"Yes," Jenny said, "And you know it."

"We don't have to go," he pointed out, "We have the power to delegate."

"And who would you delegate to?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"DiNozzo and David are-," Gibbs started but Jenny interrupted him.

"Barely keeping it together as it is," she reminded him, "if we made them do this their relationship would be all but destroyed." Her voice dropped an extra couple of levels to remove any chance of either of the people in question hearing.

Gibbs grimace but made no objection. He knew Jenny was right and, no matter what he may have said of done over the years to prevent his agents from being in a romantic relationship with each other, he really did not want to see what Tony and Ziva had end, and he most certainly did not want to be the cause of something he knew would hurt both of them very deeply. That also ruled out using Tony and Paula for the mission because it would almost be worse for Tony and Ziva.

"We could send Paula and McGee," he suggested half-heartedly.

"We both know that wouldn't end well," she told him with a shake of her head, "that just leaves us."

Gibbs only grunted in response. "I know you don't want to go back there," Jenny said, "but I don't understand why."

"Because we went there once," he told her careful to keep his voice low enough that any eavesdroppers outside the door could not hear, "thirteen years ago."

"Yea," Jenny replied honestly, "and it is one of the best memories I have."

"But what about the things that came later," Gibbs pointed out, "those are not all pleasant memories."

"No," she agreed, "but some of them are." He did not respond and in the silence Jenny realized what was causing Gibbs to hesitate. "You're worried that if we re-create the happy memories, we will go down the same path we did thirteen years ago."

Gibbs nodded slowly. He was never particularly good at sharing his feelings, but Jenny seemed to get him in a way no one else did. That was part of what made them work…and it some ways it was part of what had made them fail. "I lost you once," he told her, "I don't want to risk that happening again."

Jenny tilted her head just slightly to the side and smiled up at him. "You're not going to lose me," she told him, "I won't let that happen."

"It happened last time," he pointed out.

"I know that," she replied with a slightly regretful nod, "but thirteen years ago we were completely different people with different priorities and a much more idealistic view of the world. We aren't those people anymore. We aren't going to make the same mistakes."

"Promise?" Gibbs asked, and Jenny could not help but smile because for a brief moment the great and mighty Leroy Jethro Gibbs had revealed his insecure scared vulnerable side.

"I promise," Jenny replied leaning in and kissing him gently on the lips.

"Okay," he agreed, "then I think we should do."

"Good," she said with a nod and a satisfied smile.

Gibbs looked at her for a moment. "You really never intended to let me get out of it did you?" he asked.

"No not really," she replied with a shrug, "but letting you chose the right thing is so much more peaceful than forcing you to."

Gibbs smiled. Coming from anyone else he would have found that annoying, but coming from Jenny he just found it endearing. "We should probably let them in now," he remarked after a minute, jerking his head towards the door.

Jenny smiled and nodded, but pressed a finger to her lips, indicating for him to remain silent. Slowly she moved across the room to the door, and pulled it open. Tony, McGee, Paula, and Ziva all stumbled over the threshold with varying degrees of guilt on their faces. "Care to join us?" Jenny offered with a smiled, and the four agents sheepishly made their way over to the semi-circle of chairs that had been arranged the night before.

"So what's the deal boss?" Tony asked.

"We know where they want us to go," Jenny explained, "and Jethro and I have tickets for tomorrow morning."

"You need tickets?" Tony asked before thinking.

"Yes," Jenny replied evenly, "It is a canal tour very much like one we went on last time we were in Amsterdam, and it is the only place that makes sense."

Tony nodded, and Gibbs could not help but be amazed at how she could make something so deeply important to both of them sound mater-o-fact and businesslike. Tony and McGee had no idea that there was anything more to the story. Ziva and Paula on the other hand had exchanged a look that clear said they knew there was something more. However neither of them pressed the subject.

"Anyway," Jenny continued, "you guys aren't going to have a lot to this time around. So just try and find whatever you can on…" she paused. In truth she had absolutely no clue what to tell them to look for because she had no clue herself, "…something." The other four exchanged a look but all nodded.

"Great," Gibbs said bringing the conversation to a close, "Now go. It's late." The four younger agents all took the hint and left the room after wishing good night to their bosses. A moment later the door closed leaving Jenny and Gibbs alone in their room. Slowly they moved towards each other and Gibbs wrapped his arms around Jenny's waist as their lips met.

And in that moment the both silently reaffirmed what they had established earlier: no matter what happened they would not make the same mistakes they had made all those years ago. There was too much to lose.

_**So what did you think? I though it was pretty good… Please Review**_


	23. For a Moment

Chapter 23. Yes I know it has been this side of forever since I updated it, and I'm sorry but I hope that you will forgive me given that I am writing this in the car on the way to the airport. Anyway I hope you like it. Disclaimer: Ethan is. Kate and Eli and Ziva aren't

_**Spoilers: No.**_

"Get down there," a gruff masculine voice instructed them, "and be quiet." With that he gave them both a shove and slammed the cellar door behind them. Ethan and Kate exchanged a look but, given that their only other option was to remain standing on the staircase, they did as they were told.

"How do they manage to find a house with a cellar every time they move us?" Kate asked rhetorically, "I mean none of the houses I lived in growing up had cellars, and these all have dark, dank, creepy cellars."

"It is a requirement," Ethan told her with a perfect deadpan, "Every organization that wants to take hostages much possess at least one building with a dark, dank, creepy cellar."

Kate laughed and playfully punched him in the shoulder. "You're funny," she told him.

"I try," he replied with a slight bow. Then slightly more seriously he added, "It is good to hear you laugh." Kate smiled slightly at that, but after a moment the smile disappeared.

"I'm scared Ethan," she told her husband quietly.

"That is natural," he pointed out gently, "you are at someone else's mercy with no idea what is going on."

"That's not even what I'm scared of," she told him shaking her head, "I'm scared that I don't know who I really am anymore. Four years ago I was an NCIS agent, and I had basically a normal life. Then I lived in Rome for three years under someone else's name and spent every day scared that someone was going to kill me. Then there was the first time I was kidnapped, and when that was over I ended up back where I was before only everything was different. Now I'm kidnapped again, and I think I'm starting to lose it."

Ethan listened carefully to her speech and only spoke when he was sure she had finished. "Come here," he told her, indicating the ground next to where he was sitting. She obliged and sat down beside him. Then he took both her hands in his and looked straight into her eyes. "Any average person placed in any one of those situation—"

Kate shook her head. "Please don't give me the you-are-holding-up-so-much-better-than-anyone-could-expect speech," she told her husband, "I've heard it."

"It's true," he reminded her softly.

"I'm losing it," she told him frankly.

"You'll get past it," he assured her, "everyone is entitled to a mental breakdown every once in a while."

"That is not usually how that speech ends," Kate said slightly surprise.

"Since when am I usual?" he questioned her, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"You're not," Kate replied, somehow calmed by her husband's quiet insistence that everything was all right. She paused for a moment. "So when was the last time you had a mental breakdown?"

Ethan laughed. "Jenny never told you why Eli let me leave Mossad did she?" It was mostly a rhetorical question because if Kate knew she would not have asked her question in the first place.

"No," Kate replied with a small smile, "she didn't. What did you do?"

"Well," Ethan said slowly, "Eli and I got into a fight, and I tried to strangle him."

"You tried to strangle the your father?" Kate asked slightly shocked, although in her opinion the man had it coming and more than once she had considered doing it herself. Though she had never met the man, and it was not very Christian of her, she despised Eli for his treatment of his two remaining children.

"I tried to strangle the Director of Mossad," Ethan corrected her, "as a result of a disagreement."

"Ethan dear," she told him sweetly, "one does not attempt to strangle people because of disagreements."

"Okay," he conceded, "we had a fight." He was not really as opposed to Kate knowing what had happened as he was pretending to be, but he knew that as long as she was trying to get information out of him, she would be focused on that. It was something to distract her from everything else that was going on.

"About what?" she asked curiously. Ethan had a lot of restraint when it came to Eli, so she was curious as to what had finally made him snap.

"You," he told her honestly, "and Ziva and NCIS." Kate raised one eyebrow, prompting him to continue. "It was nothing new. It was just the same speech he has been giving Ziva for years about how NCIS is making us soft and that we are losing our ability handle dangerous situations competently."

"You tried to strangle him for that?" she asked skeptically.

"Well no," he told her slowly, "I think the part where I lost it was where he described our relationship as 'a childish fling that was best forgotten.'"

Kate did not know exactly what to say to that. One part of her was very proud and happy that Ethan would defend their relationship like that. The other part of her regretted the fact that she had been one more thing to come between father and son. She had always cherished her relationship with her parents and wished that Ethan and Ziva could have had that comfort too. Still she knew that any chance of that had been blown long before she entered the picture.

"Thank you," she told him finally.

"For what?" he questioned her, unsure of what she was thanking him for.

"For defending us," she replied simply.

"Oh," Ethan said, and it was his turn to be slightly surprised because, truth be told, he had never even considered there to be another option in that situation. His reaction had been reflexive.

There was a pause while the two lovers stared into each other's eyes, and just for a moment they forgot the world around them. They forgot that they were trapped in a cellar in some unknown country at the mercy of some revenge driven maniac. They forgot that in just a few days they would probably be moved again. They forgot that with every day that passed, their chances of survival lowered just a tiny bit.

They forgot everything except that they were very much in love.

_**So what did you think? I will start working on the next chapter when I get home. Please review.**_


	24. River Romance

_**Chapter 24. Well the down side is that I have not posted since early June…sorry about that, but the upside is that I have the next chapter and a half already written. So they will be posted at one week intervals after this and I will see what I can do to keep that going…probably not much given that school is about to start but I'll try.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Gibbs and Jenny. I do own Sarah and Sandra**_

_**Spoilers: None**_

"You ready for this?" Gibbs asked quietly as he and Jenny stood at the foot of the gangway, looking up at the ship in front of them.

"It doesn't matter if I'm ready," she replied in the same hushed tone, "this isn't about us. It is about Kate and Ethan."

"Which is really just a fancy way of dodging the question," he pointed out.

"I'm just as worried about this as you are," she admitted freely, "for the exact same reasons, but this still isn't about us, and we need to get on the damn boat."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at her. "I think this is at least a little about us," he pointed out as they began to walk up the gangplank

Jenny wrinkled her nose and grimaced. "I know," she told him grudgingly, "I just don't want it to be, and I'm a little stressed at the moment."

They were nearly at the top of the gangway and in full view of other people, but Gibbs did not care as he leaned down and kissed Jenny. She returned the kiss with equal passion though more than a little shocked at the public display of affection. After a few moments they broke apart to find a boatful of couples staring at them with the soft dopey looked generally reserved for kittens and babies.

"Now relax," Gibbs whispered in her ear as they walked toward the ticket taker, "and act like you're in love with me."

"Not really acting is it?" she whispered back with a smile, as she handed the woman their tickets. Together she and Gibbs made their way down the center isle of the boat and sat down in two of the only remaining seats.

Almost immediately the woman across the isle from them turned to Jenny, who was sitting closest to her by virtue of being in the isle seat, and began to talk to her. "I'm Sandra," the woman said extending her hand to Jenny, "and this is my partner Sarah."

Jenny shook hands with Sandra and nodded to Sarah, who returned the gesture before turning to look out over the cannel and surrounding city. "I'm Sophie," Jenny said feeling it was only proper to introduce herself even if she was using her cover name, "and this is my," she pause for a fraction of a second, "boyfriend, Thomas." The phrase felt strange on her lips, and it was not because she was using Gibbs's alias.

"So," Sandra said conversationally, "How long have you two been together?"

"A decade," Jenny said without hesitation.

"A year," Gibbs replied at the exact same moment. They looked at each other in surprise before Jenny turned back to Sandra.

"It's complicated," she explained with an almost apologetic smile.

"It always is," Sarah said reentering the conversation unexpectedly, "I mean we've been together nearly twenty years, and it's still complicated." She and Sandra smiled knowingly at each other, and Jenny was about to ask how they met, when the sudden movement of the vessel and the start of the audio made all other conversation impossible.

-0- -0- -0-

Over the next hour the boat cruised though the city of Amsterdam, and the tour guide drawled on in both perfect Dutch and broken English. Many of the couples around them seemed almost giddy with excitement, but both Jenny and Gibbs felt like they were having a bad case of déjà vu. Of course they effectively were because they had been on this exact same tour a little more than ten years ago, and the script had not changed all that much.

The difference this time was that the stakes were higher, and they both knew it. Ten years ago the only thing at risk had been a mostly illegitimate relationship between two young agents. Now it was not just their relationship, which had drastically changed in nature, that was in possible jeopardy but also the lives of two people they cared about. If they messed up this time, Kate and Ethan would be the ones to pay for that mistake…most likely with their lives.

With that knowledge placed so firmly in the front of her mind, Jenny found it difficult to enjoy the ride at all and processed very little of the audio. Her only comfort came from the feeling of Gibbs left hand wrapped tightly around her right one and the little voice in the back of her head that reminded her of the fact that she and Jethro both being alive was crucial to cat and mouse game working out the way the as yet unidentified bad guy wanted it to.

Finally the boat they were on pulled back up to the dock they had boarded at, and Jenny felt a sense of relief sweep though her. Nothing bad had happened. Of course the feeling of relief was almost immediately overcome by a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. That feeling grew stronger until ever other couple had stepped off the boat. Sandra and Sarah gave one last wave as they descended the gangway disappeared into the bustling crowd below.

Then, after exchanging a look with Gibbs, Jenny rose to her feet and began to make her way down the isle to the front of the boat. She could feel Gibbs' breath on the back of her neck and knew that he was not far behind her. After what felt like an eternity they reached the front of the vessel, and only then did the tour guide, who had looked moderately bored the entire trip, crack a smile.

"Are you Thomas and Sophie?" she asked in perfect Dutch.

"Yes," Jenny replied, knowing her Dutch had always been better than Gibbs', "Why?"

"This is for you," she told them holding out a white envelope. Jenny reach out and took the envelope, and she and Gibbs exchanged at glance.

"Who gave you…" Jenny's question died in her throat as she realized that in the few seconds she had looked away the other woman had vanished. All they had was the letter…

_**So what did you think? I had fun with it…the first half more than the second half but whatever…Please review. The next chapter will be up next Sunday.**_


	25. The Sixth Letter

_**Chapter 25. I'm sorry…I know I told you this would be posted a month an a half ago but I underestimated just how much school work I was going to get slammed with in those first few weeks. I'll continue to do my best with it, but no promises.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or the song  
**_

_**Spoilers: None**_

Tony, Paula, Ziva, and McGee were sitting on the bed in Gibbs and Jenny's room when they returned in the late morning, and though they four all struggled to look as if they had just arrived, Jenny had the sneaking suspicion that they had been sitting there since she and Gibbs had departed.

"Anything?" Paula asked anxiously.

Jenny did not respond. Instead she just held up the white envelope for the team to see. She could not explain why, but she felt as if she had somehow failed this time, as if she should have been able to get more than just the envelope.

"Great," Tony said sarcastically, "A white envelope. We've never seen one of those before."

"Sarcasm is not useful," Ziva snapped at him, before turning to Jenny, "Have you opened it?"

"Not yet," she replied with a shake of her head, "we wanted to wait until we were all together before we did that." Ziva nodded her appreciation and for a moment no one said or did anything. They just stared at the envelope in Jenny's hand.

After a minute or so, Jenny began to work the flap on the envelope open. She knew that the other five were watching her every move, and so she went a little slower so they would not see her hands shaking as she worked. Finally the envelope opened and she slipped out the folded piece of paper. She unfolded it and was not at all shocked to find that, like the three before it, the only writing on the page was a few lines, of what she presumed were lyrics to a song, in the middle.

_Our funny little lives_

_We show up here with stardust in our eyes_

_To get here on the train_

_It takes about a week but that's OK_

"Sound familiar to anyone?" Jenny asked after reading the lines aloud to the group. Unlike the first three, she had absolutely no idea what this letter was getting at. However based on the looks the rest of the group were exchanging, no one else had any clue either.

"The Girl from Vladivostok," Paula said suddenly, "by David Arthur Brown."

They all stared at her slightly shocked. "How do you know that?" Tony asked her.

"My sister likes it," she replied with a shrug. Then she turned to Gibbs and Jenny. "Does that mean we're going to Vladivostok?" she asked in attempt to stop everybody from staring at her.

"I don't think so," Jenny said with a shake of her head, "Whoever is doing this wants to make us retrace our steps across Europe—"

"We went to Rostov," Tony cut in.

"I know that," Jenny continued resisting the urge to glare at him, "but 1. Rostov is this side of the Ural Mountains and Vladivostok is on the Pacific coast, and 2. we never went to Vladivostok."

"Why else would they use that song?" Ziva questioned.

"I don't know," Jenny admitted, running her fingers though her hair as she sat down in the desk chair, "Any idea Jethro?"

"It's not just about the place this time," he said looking straight into Jenny's eyes, "It's about the whole title."

"The girl from Vladivostok?" Jenny asked still clearly not following.

"Do you remember Kira?" he asked her hesitantly. Wishing he never had to say the name again, but knowing that did.

Jenny grimaced at the sound of the name but nodded. "Yea," she replied, "I remember that little Russian…" her sentence trail off as she realized what Gibbs was getting at. "She was from Vladivostok?" she asked, "Wasn't she?"

"Yea," he replied with a nod, "She was."

"Serbia it is then," Jenny announced sounding slightly disgruntled, "McGee you want to see if you can find us some tickets?" McGee nodded, and disappeared into the adjoining room. Seeming to recognize that it was time for them to make their exit, the rest of the team disappeared into the other room as well, and Ziva pulled the door closed behind them. Jenny and Gibbs were completely alone.

"Are you going to be okay with this?" Gibbs asked her gently, "I know you don't like Serbia."

"I don't mind Serbia," she corrected him with a shake of her head, "I just never liked Kira."

"I understand that," he told her taking one of her hands in his.

"But my personal feelings about it don't matter," she said, not entirely sure whether she was reminding him or herself, "We are going to be one the first flight to Serbia whether I want to or not."

"Your feelings matter to me," he told her, and she smiled at him.

"Thanks," she said squeezing his hand. There were a few seconds silence before she spoke again. "Do you remember what were like when we first went to Serbia?" she asked him, and he just nodded. "We were young and excited both still thought that we could save the world."

"'Stardust in our eyes' might not have been a bad description," he said, and she almost laughed.

"No it probably wasn't," Jenny agreed, "We were young. We were in love. We had completed several successful missions. We were on top of the world. We still thought that we were invincible, and that would could beat every bad guy we came up against."

"A lot has happen since then," Gibbs mused though neither one of them needed reminding, "we're certainly not as young, and we've had many failed missions."

"We're still in love," Jenny offered with a smile.

"That we are," Gibbs agreed pulling her to her feet so they were standing with their facing just inches a part, "We're not always on top of the world though."

"Some days it feels like it's on top of us," she joked, even though there was a certain amount of truth in that statement, "and we certainly aren't invincible."

"No," he agreed as his hand moved to her waist caressing an area of skin that had been scarred by a bullet many years back, "we aren't."

"And then there are the bad guys," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"And then there are the bad guys," he repeated with a nod, "We don't always catch them."

"No," she said quietly as she laid her head on his shoulder, "but this time we don't have a choice."

_**Thank you for your patience…hope you enjoyed it…please review…**_


	26. Serbia 1998

_**I have no idea if anyone is even reading this anymore because it has been nearly two years since I update, for which I am sorry, but I am going to try to finish it. We will see how well that goes but I am going to try. Hope you like this chapter.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Jenny or Gibbs.**_

_**Spoilers: None.**_

NOVEMBER 1998

"I don't have a good feeling about this Thomas," Jenny said leaning up against the wall near the refreshments table with a glass of wine held firmly in her hand. If it had been up to her, she would have been drinking bourbon, like Jethro was, but the powers that be had made it fairly clear that Sophie was to drink wine.

"Relax Soph," he told, noting, as he did so, just how comfortable they had become with their cover names. They almost never slipped up in public now…in private things were a little different. "Things are going to be just fine."

"Are you sure you can trust Kira?" she asked him with a grimace at the name.

"I've got a good feeling about her," he assured her.

"A good feeling is not certain," she pointed out hesitantly.

"Trust me Soph," he told her softly, "I've got this under control."

"Okay," she said more than a little reluctantly, "If you're sure."

"That a girl," he told her leaning in to give her a quick kiss, before setting his empty glass down on the table and making his way across the room, snagging a full one as he went.

Jenny grimaced as she lifted her own glass to her lips and took a sip. She was not going to lie to herself. The idea of Jethro associating with Kira made her nervous on more than just a professional level. Sure she thought that Kira was a slippery fish who could very well be working for the other side, but she was not entirely sure how much of that feeling stemmed from actual data and how much had arisen from the bubble of jealousy growing in the pit of her stomach.

She knew that it was silly for her to see the other woman as a rival. After all she was in her early thirties and, by most standards, still very good looking. However she could not help but feel that even if that was true, Kira was still a decade younger than her with bright blue eyes and perfect golden ringlets. Without even thinking about it, Jenny started playing with a strand of her own auburn hair.

Finally she shook her head. She was being foolish because no matter who was more attractive, Jethro would never betray her trust for a woman who could never be more than a few nights of passion. With that slightly reassuring thought in mind, Jenny slipped back into the heart of the party, and with in seconds, she had been swept into a conversation about the new Serbian leader.

Across the room, Jethro and Kira were engaged in a very different conversation.

"So Thomas," Kira said leaning in closer to him under the pretext of try to talk over other nearby conversations, "What do you do for a living?

"I'm a consultant," he said with a grimace. He knew to sell the part he was going to make it look like he really wasn't supposed to be doing what he was doing, which of course he wasn't supposed to be, but that was more of a moral restriction than anything else.

"And what," Kira asked almost seductively, "do you consult about?"

"Um," Jethro said pulling at his collar a little bit and wondering if the temperature in the room was rising quickly or whether he was just hallucinating it, "all kinds of boring things." He told her with a shrug, falling back in line with the charade he was supposed to be playing, "nothing that would interest a pretty girl like you."

"And what do you think would interest a pretty girl like me?" she asked him, running her fingers though his hair.

"I'm certain I don't know," he told her, dropping the fake nervousness in his tone. If he wanted her to give him the information he knew she had, he was going to have to get her alone and get her to trust him…or at least to want to talk to him.

"I'm sure you can think of something," she told him leaning in, and he could feel her hot breath on her neck.

"Maybe," he whispered in her ear, "but we can't do it here."

"I have a room upstairs," Kira said seductively.

"But I don't know anything about you," Jethro reminded her with a smile, "how do I know you aren't a stunningly beautiful female assassin?"

"Well," she told him taking his hand in hers, "you could assume that I am and walk away or we could go upstairs and I could tell you everything you ever wanted to know about me."

A wide smile spread across Jethro's face. He had his in. "Alright," he agreed, "lets get going." She grinned at him and led him towards the stairwell. "Where are you from?" he asked her as they walked together.

"We're not in the room yet," she pointed out with another wide smile.

"Can't you just answer one question?" he asked her.

"Only if you do," she replied as they entered the stairwell.

"Fine," Jethro responded deciding that was a fair deal.

"What do you like to drink?" she asked him.

"Bourbon," he responded. He had already had a few glasses that night, but he couldn't see the harm of having a couple more especially if it kept the information coming.

"Vladivostok," she replied with a grin.

"What?" he asked her a little confused by the seemingly random statement.

"That's were I'm from," she told him with a little laugh. Jethro smiled. It did not at all shock him that she was Russian although it was hard to tell from her speech because her English was nearly flawless, which was good because his Russian was still not nearly what it should have been. "Catch me," she said suddenly and took off up the stairs.

Jethro laughed. Then he took off after her with little else in mind.

_**Well if you are still out there please review and let me know. I'll post a new chapter in a couple of days.**_


	27. Realisations

_**Another new chapter…this one actually written recently as opposed to two years ago. Long story but I think this one is okay…I am having a little trouble figuring out where this story was going because I did not touch it for two years.**_

_**Disclaimer: Ethan is mine. Kate is not.**_

_**Spoilers: None.**_

Kate woke with sunlight spilling across her face, and she looked up at Ethan, who was holding her in his arms. It was a new cellar in a new city. They had spent most of the previous day and night in the back of a van, which had transported them between cities.

"How you doing?" he asked her. He knew riding in the van stressed her out, and to be completely fair, it stressed him out too. He was just much better at concealing his emotions than Kate was.

"I'm doing—" she paused for a moment. "I'm doing well." She decided after a moment.

"That sounds more positive," Ethan said with a small smile.

Kate shrugged. "This is the fifth city we've been to since we were kidnapped," she said, "They aren't going to kill us. If they were going to kill us, we would be dead by now."

"Yes," Ethan agreed with a nod.

"But you knew that," she realized with a small bemused smile.

"Yes," he confirmed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked him.

It was his turn to smile. "I did once or twice," he reminded her, "but you were not going to listen to a word I said until you believed it for yourself. So I stopped trying to convince you because I knew you would figure it out. You are smart."

"So where do you think we are?" she asked him.

"I am not sure," he admitted slowly, "I have been trying to figure that out all night."

"I thought you weren't worried about them killing us," she said, wondering why he had not slept.

"I am not," he replied, "but that does not mean I trust them. Especially not with you." Ethan knew that there were a whole host of things that could be done to a person without leaving a mark but that would still cause either physical or emotional trauma. He knew the leader of the kidnapping ring wanted both him and Kate left unharmed, but he also knew that sometime subordinates did not listen and would take advantage of a situation. He would rather die than let any man, especially these men, lay a hand on Kate in that way.

Kate nodded. She knew what he was thinking, and she also knew he was right in thinking it. "You still think about Omaha don't you," she asked quietly, knowing his answer before he spoke. She hated that memories of that city still haunted him every bit as much as they did her.

"Yes," he replied, reading her thoughts in her eyes. "I have seen a lot of things, more than anyone could remember. If I could remember them all, that knowledge would probably smother me, but there things, events, that I will never forget as long as a live."

"I'm sorry," she told him.

"Do not be," he replied with a shake of his head. "Not all of them are bad. Some are," he said quickly in response to her raised eyebrows, "Omaha, a few of my missions for Mossad, the look in Ziva's eyes the first time I saw her after Tali died… But there are good things too: our wedding, hearing Ziva admit she had fallen in love, and a dozen other small family moments. There are good times and bad time in everybody's lives some are more extreme than others, but those I remember made me who I am and brought me here, and I would never want to take that back."

"Here?" Kate asked raising her eyebrow a little bit, but she was impressed with Ethan's quiet philosophic insistence.

"Yes," he replied with a small smile, "Here. I told you once that my home would be wherever you are. I meant that."

"I love you," she whispered. She understood what he was saying and shared his sentiment. Being here, if it meant being with Ethan, was better than being anywhere else in the world.

"I love you too baby," he replied, leaning down and softly pressing his lips to hers.

"What game do you think they are playing with us?" Kate asked after a few moments of silence.

"I do not think they are playing with us," Ethan replied, "They haul us to a city deposit us in the basement that leave us be until it is time to move to the next city."

"We aren't the opposing team," Kate realized, "at least not specifically."

"No," he replied, "I do believe that we are bait."

"Being bate is not a good thing," she said.

"Well," Ethan said a little grimly, "It is okay for us right now because they need us alive to draw in the others, but when the showdown comes, it may become problematic, yes."

"I don't like be bait," Kate said wrinkling her nose.

"Nobody likes being bate," Ethan replied almost laughing.

"I wonder how the others are doing," she mused.

"They are looking for us becoming increasingly frustrated with each city," Ethan said without hesitation, "Jenny and Gibbs are trying to hold everything together, while hiding their own struggles, Ziva is pulling away from everyone, and the others are just going along with it confusedly."

Kate stared at him with her mouth slightly open. "How?" she asked.

"I watch people," he reminded her, "I have survived this long because I can read people and predict their behavior, and of course Ziva is my sister."

"You never cease to amaze me," she told him with a smile.

"As long as I amaze you in a good way," he told her stroking her hair.

"You do," she replied.

"Good," he said, "Good." There were sides to him that would amaze most people because they would not believe that someone as seemingly normal as him could do such things. Kate had seen most of those sides, and she still loved him. Of course even she did not know anything. No one did, not Kate not Ziva.

"Just remember," he told her, "Whatever else may be true: I love you. Forever."

_**So I hope you liked it...please review…another chapter will be up with in the week…**_


	28. The Seventh Letter

_**Okay…here's the next chapter. It's rather late so I am sorry if I missed some grammar/spelling errors when I proofed it, but I did my best…Please enjoy and review.**_

_**Disclaimer: Not mine.**_

_**Spoilers: None…well actually I think there's a flash back to Serbia some where in Season 3, but I'm not looking it up…**_

"I thought it would be here," Jenny said looking out over an old abandon lot. The hotel that had once stood there had clearly be demolished years ago, and the lot along with the buildings surrounding it abandoned.

"It would have made sense," Gibbs replied, "It's where we met Kira for the first time."

"But it clearly has not been here for years," Ziva said a little sharply, "so it is clearly not the answer.

"True," Jenny said looking at Gibbs. Neither of them spoke. They were both thinking, desperately searching for something that would lead us in the right direction. "We were holed up in that little hut a long time," Jenny suggested half-heartedly. It did not seem to fit, but she had no other ideas.

"You should check the perimeter," he told the other agents. The all looked at him blankly. It was fairly clear that there was nothing to be found. "Now," he said, and they walked off.

"What was that about?" Jenny asked.

"You were holed up in that little hut for a long time," he reminded her, "I was working to turn Kira into an asset."

"Oh yeah," Jenny said a little bitterly, "I'm not sure how I forgot that."

Gibbs did not respond. A large part of him wished that he could forget Kira, but he knew he would never be able to because she represented one of the worst mistakes he ever made.

"So where do you think they want us to go?" Jenny asked. She was going though a lot of conflicting emotions right now, but she knew that none of them mattered. She had to push them away and look at the situation as if it was a case and she was an impartial observer.

"I don't know," he admitted, "there were a lot of places." He hated admitting that to her, but he also understood that keeping long buried secrets buried was not a priority compared to catching up with whoever was leading them on this global scavenger hunt.

Jenny took a deep breath. She was beginning to understand something about Kate and Ethan's kidnappers. She prayed she was wrong, but she knew in her gut that she was not. "Think of all the places you went," she told him quietly. He considered them silently. "Which one would hurt me most?" she asked.

"What?' he asked her.

"Which one would hurt me most?" she repeated, her voice steady.

"Why?" he asked her. For all he knew that he could not protect all his dirty secrets, he did not want to answer that question.

"Because this is about us," she told him, "or me. I'm not really sure, but it doesn't really matter. They want to drive us apart. They want to hurt us. They are going to pick the places that do that."

"Rostov when you were shot, and Istanbul in that dance hall," he said realizing that she was right. Both those places had brought back painful memories for him, but he suspected they had less of an effect on her. "I think it's about both of us."

"Probably," she agreed, "but that doesn't really matter. It will all amount to the same thing in the end."

"True," he said, still wishing that it were not.

"So I need you to answer the question," she told him, repeating it for the third time. "What place will hurt me the most?"

"Kira's apartment," he said finally, looking at the ground because he could not quite bring himself to meet Jenny's eyes.

"Okay," she told him. She felt as if a rock had settled in the pit of her stomach, but she ignored it. She had to focus. "Where is that?" she asked.

"It's only a few blocks that way," he said gesturing down a side street.

"Are you sure?" she asked, "It was ten years ago."

"I'm sure," he told her. Their eyes locked for a moment, and he could see the pain she was hiding. Then she looked away, and he could see no hint of vulnerability.

"There wasn't anything there, boss," Tony said as the other four rejoined their leaders. They had searched both the empty lot and the surrounding ones but found no trace of anything connected to Kate and Ethan or the kidnappers. However they were smart enough to realize that Gibbs had not really expected them to find anything anyway.

"Okay," he told them, "Everyone back in the van." He glanced at Jenny, and she nodded. They both knew where they had to go. As they drove, it was incredible to Gibbs how just a few blocks could completely change the area.

"This is it," he told Jenny, pulling up outside a building that looked as though it had not seen a single day pass since Gibbs had last been there.

"Okay," Jenny said, "It's still a functioning building so we probably shouldn't all go in."

"You two go in," Paula said, voicing what everyone was thinking, "We'll wait here."

"I think that makes sense," Jenny agreed. Gibbs said nothing. It made sense; there was no doubt about that, but he did not like it.

Together they got out of the van and walked towards the building. When they were out of sight of the others waiting in the van, Gibbs reached out and took Jenny by the hand. She looked at him. It was an uncharacteristic gesture.

Once inside, Jenny and Gibbs walked up to the front desk. The woman at the desk looked at them and smiled. Then she said something in Serbian.

"Hello," Gibbs replied in Serbian. Jenny stared at him surprised. "I am Thomas Willows," he introduced himself.

"Mr. Willows," she greeted him cheerfully, "I just rented out your flat last month, but I think the renters left some mail for you."

Gibbs glanced at Jenny before realizing that she had no idea what they were saying.

"Could I have it please?" he asked, making an effort to be polite.

"Of course," she said handing him a single while envelope, "Here you are."

Jenny sighed. She could not speak Serbian, but she did not need to now. She knew what that white rectangle meant.

_**Hope you liked it…Please review…**_


	29. Where to Now?

_**Chapter 29…Hope you enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: Not mine**_

_**Spoilers: None**_

Jenny looked down at the envelope Gibbs had handed her. She fingered the envelope, but did not open it. She was waiting for the rest of the group to assemble before she did that. It occurred to her on some level that was foolish because the clues would be directed at her or Jethro not at the other members of the team. Still she felt they should wait. After all, if the team fell apart, all that did was benefit their opponent.

There was a knock at the door, which Gibbs answered and the rest of the team entered the room. "What does this one say?" Ziva asked, in what had become her usual sharp tone.

"Haven't opened it yet," Jenny replied.

"Well," Ziva said looking at her, "are you going too?"

Jenny did not reply. Instead she slipped one of her fingers under the flap of the envelope and opened it. No one was surprised when she pulled a single folded sheet of paper out. Silently she read it, and then passed it to Ziva who read it and passed it to McGee. Slowly the sheet made its way around the group, ending with Gibbs.

_And when I awoke I was alone_

_This bird had flown_

_So I lit a fire_

_Isn't it good Norwegian wood?_

Gibbs looked down at the sheet and grimace. Jenny looked at him.

"So," she said, "Oslo, Tromso, or Bergen?"

"You went to three different cities in Norway?" Tony asked, "Is there really that much to do in Norway?"

"It was all one mission," Jenny told him distractedly, "we were following an arms dealer and he kept changing cities."

"So which city is it?" Paula asked, voicing the obvious question.

"I don't know," Jenny admitted, "They were all fairly nondescript. We traced him to Oslo based on information we got in Serbia. Then we followed him to Bregen, then to Tromso. Then we followed him to Stockholm."

"Maybe we should just go to Stockholm," Ziva suggested, "We can stop being two steps behind."

"I don't think it's that simple," Jenny replied shaking her head.

"Why not?" Ziva demanded.

"We've skipped plenty of other cities," Jenny said, "and Stockholm doesn't make any sense."

"Does Norway?" Ziva asked.

"Not yet," Jenny admitted, "but there has to be reason."

Gibbs was still looking at piece of paper in his hands, studying the words. Something had occurred to him based on what Jenny had said earlier. "Do you think it's about hurting us?" he asked her.

"That seems to be the pattern," she replied looking at him, "Why?"

"Oslo," he said, not really answering her question.

"What?" she asked him.

"Oslo makes sense," he told her.

"Why?' she asked.

"Because there are things you don't know about Oslo," he told her. Something in his eyes stopped her from pressing further while the others were there.

"Alright," she said. Then she turned to McGee.

"Oslo," he said before she could open her mouth. "I'm on it." She nodded, and McGee left the room, followed by Paula. Tony moved to the door, but Ziva did not follow, and he hesitated.

"Why are we playing his game?" Ziva demanded.

"I don't think we have a choice," Jenny said, "I don't like this anymore than you do, but I don't think we have a choice right now."

"We could try and get a step ahead," Ziva argued.

"We don't know enough to do that," Jenny said shaking her head, "And if we guess incorrectly we end us three steps behind."

"So instead we dance on a string like puppets?" Ziva asked.

"That's not what we're doing," Jenny told her.

"Isn't it?" Ziva asked, "Because that is sure what it feels like."

"His end game is with us," Jenny pointed out, "not Ethan or Kate. He needs them alive to bate us."

"So what," Ziva said, "Maybe you are enjoying this walk down memory lane, but the rest of us aren't."

Even before Jenny spoke, everyone in the room knew that Ziva had crossed a line. "Ziva," Jenny said, her tone measured, "I understand that you are worried about Kate and Ethan, but you should remember you are not the only one who cares about them. You should also remember that there are things you neither know about nor understand. I will see you in the morning." She then looked pointedly at the door where Tony was still standing.

Ziva glared at Jenny for a moment. Then she turned on her heal and stalked out of the room. Tony followed her with an almost apologetic glance at Jenny, and he closed the door behind him.

"I shouldn't have done that," Jenny said looking at the closed door. She knew that making Ziva feel isolated was risky, and she was worried that she had just severed the last bond Ziva felt was still in tact.

"Yes," Gibbs replied, "you should have. She was out of line, and someone need to say that too her." He wished he could have stopped Ziva from saying those things to Jenny because he knew that they cut deep. Ziva had no way of knowing how deep because, as Jenny said, there were things she did not understand.

"So what is so special about Oslo?" Jenny asked after several minutes of pensive silence. "Why not Bergen or Tromso? I hated Tromso."

"I know," he told her, "but there were things in Oslo I never about."

"Why?" she asked him confused.

"Because I made a mistake, and I didn't want to hurt you," he admitted.

"What are you taking about?" she asked.

"Kira," he said finally.

"What?" she said looking at him.

He took a deep breath. "Kira followed us, followed me, to Oslo."

Jenny was quiet for a long moment, processing what he had just told her. Then she nodded. "Yeah," she agreed, "We need to go to Oslo."

_**So off to Oslo…please review…**_


	30. Disappeared

_**Wow chapter 30…when I planned this story I expected it to be 33 chapters…clearly I was wrong…Hope you enjoy.**_

_**Spoilers: Nope**_

_**Disclaimer: Not mine**_

The next morning the team assembled in the lobby of the hotel as arranged the night before. However even fifteen minutes after the agreed on meeting time, Paula and Ziva had not appeared. Finally twenty minutes late, and after several phone calls had been made, Paula appeared looking slightly embarrassed.

"Where's Ziva?" Tony asked.

"Gone," Paula said, with a grimace.

"Where?" Tony demanded, glaring at Paula as if she were somehow personally responsible.

"I don't know," Paula replied, "It's not like she told me."

"I'll call Abby," McGee offered, "she can trace Ziva's phone."

"Not going to help," Paula said holding it up.

"Then how are we going to find her?" Tony asked.

"She's on her way to Stockholm," Jenny said with a shrug, "and don't worry about it Paula. I'm guessing she slipped a crushed up sleeping pill into the drink she offered you last night." Everyone stared at Jenny.

"You knew?" Tony said accusingly, ignoring Gibbs glare.

"No," Jenny replied, "but I'm not all that surprised either. She's angry, and it was only a matter of time until she lost patience and tried to do things her own way."

"You should have tried to stop her," Tony said, "talked to her."

"I'm sorry," Jenny said looking at Tony with narrowed eyes, "Have you met Ziva?" Tony did not reply, but he realized that Jenny did have a point. No one could have talked Ziva out of going if she had already made up her mind.

"The sleeping pill?" Paula asked Jenny curiously.

Jenny laughed. "I worked with Ziva for several years," she reminded them, "and she pulled that one on me more than once." Paula gave her a look. "Yes really," Jenny told them, looking at Tony, "and if you ever say a word to anyone else I will deny it."

"So what do we do?" McGee asked, asking what seemed to him to be the obvious question.

"We go get Ziva," Tony replied immediately, looking at Jenny, daring her to contradict him.

"You do," she said, "but the rest of us have to go to Oslo."

"Stockholm is a big city," Tony pointed out.

"Yes it is," Jenny agreed, "but you know Ziva, and you know how she thinks. You will be able to find her because you'll be able to figure out where she's going."

Tony looked a little uncertain, but he was not stupid either. He knew that splitting up was the only option. Ziva would hate them all if they lost track of Kate and Ethan. Of course she believed that following that trail was not going to get them very far, but in time she would come around. At least he hoped she would.

"What happens when I find her?" he asked.

"Meet back up with us," Jenny said with a shrug, "We'll probably be in a new city by then, but obviously we don't know which one. When you find her, call McGee."

"We should load this stuff into the van," McGee said gesturing to the very small collection of bags around them. Paula and Gibbs followed McGee towards the parking lot. They had already checked out of their rooms. Tony moved to follow the others, but Jenny caught him by the sleeve.

"Listen," she said quietly, "I know you don't like me very much." Tony did not bother to contradict her. They had their problems, and they both knew it. "And I know you don't want me to interfere in any way with your personal relationships. I understand that."

"It just seems like every time I get dragged into something connected with you past, it ends badly," Tony told her bitterly.

Jenny grimaced. She was not sure it was fare to make that generalization off a single incident, but she let it go. "I deserve that," she told him, "but even having said all that, you need to listen to me."

"Okay," he said grudgingly.

"You will find her," Jenny told him, "I've known her longer, but you know her better. More importantly, you love her and love has a funny way of making things work out."

A biting response sprang to the tip of Tony's tongue, but he held it back. For some reason what Jenny had said resonated with him in a way that things rarely did, especially things coming from her. Looking at Jenny, he began to realize that she was probably struggling just as much as the rest of them were. She just hid it better.

This realization made Tony feel slightly guilty about his previous out bursts, but then he thought about Ziva, who was alone and on her way to Stockholm because Jenny had not tried to stop her. His sense of annoyance returned. Without another word he turned and walked towards the door.

Jenny followed him to the car but did not say anything else. She did not need to. He had heard her, and whether he liked it or not, she knew he would remember it. She knew she should probably be bothered by the fact that both Tony and Ziva were angry with her, but she was not. Though she would probably never say it to any of their faces, the other team members were largely unnecessary by this point.

They had established that this cat and mouse game was about Jenny and Gibbs, and it was also very clear that whoever was behind this had no intention of killing them…not yet anyway. At least she hoped she was right about that part. If she was not right, if somewhere she had made a faulty assumption…

She shook her head. She had to assume that she was right because otherwise they had nothing to go with, and they would lose Kate and Ethan forever…

_**Beginning of the chapter was a little rocky, but I like the end… Please review.**_


	31. Oslo 1998

_**Another Sunday. Another Chapter. Hope you like it.**_

_**Disclaimer: Not mine.**_

_**Spoilers: None**_

DECEMBER 1998

Jethro woke up, and he knew even before opening his eyes that he was alone. Kira was gone, and her side of the bed had already grown cold. It did not surprise him. He had never expected Kira to stay. Of course, he had never expected her to follow him to Norway either. Still after the conversation they had the night before, there seemed little chance of her waking up next to him this morning.

THE PREVIOUS EVENING

"I didn't expect to see you again," Jethro said looking at Kira who smiled.

"Well I though I might be able to help you," she told him,

"You have another tip?" he asked.

"Something like that," she said leaning in closer.

"Well?" Jethro asked.

"Oslo's boring," she whispered into his ear, and he could feel her warm breath on his cheek, "Come with me. We can go anywhere."

"I can't just leave," he pointed out.

"Of course you can," she replied with a small smile, "all you have to do is say the word, and we can leave."

Jethro looked at her. She had to be kidding. She could not really want the two of them to run away together; they barely knew each other. However he could tell from her expression that she did mean it.

"I have a job," he told her, "and people who I can't just walk out on."

"Who?" Kira demanded, "you travel all the time." Then her eyes narrowed. "That red hair woman I've seen you with."

"We work together," he replied, "and I have obligations."

"You love her," Kira said almost pouting.

"She's my partner," he told her, "nothing more."

It was a lie, but it was a necessary lie. At least that is what it told himself. He had to lie to Kira because he had to keep her on the hook as an asset; there was a chance she could know something new. The truth was that he loved Jenny in a way he had thought he would never find again and that scared him. Somehow loving Jenny felt like cheating on Shannon.

"Prove it," Kira said seductively, as she unbuttoned the top button on her blouse, "prove that she means nothing to you."

Jethro hesitated for a fraction of a second, but he rationalized that it was more dangerous to reveal the truth. If Kira learned something it could risk the whole mission. He had to maintain cover. He had to protect the mission…

Now lying there in bed alone he realized what bullshit that had been. He had not slept with Kira to protect the mission. She was going to leave in the morning anyway. She would never have stayed after he told her he would not go with her. He had slept with Kira because somehow he believed that if he could prove to her that he did not love Jenny, then he could prove it to himself.

Of course now he realized that he could not. He could lie to someone else, but the heart does not lie, and his heart had made up its mind. He thought sleeping with Kira would make things clearer, but in the end it had only muddled them. He realized that loving Jenny was not cheating on Shannon. Some part of him must have known that logically all along, but love was rarely logical. However sleeping with Kira was cheating on Jenny, and that thought made him sick.

The only thing that made him feel better was that she would never have to know. It did not change that it had happened or that he regretted it, but at least she did not have to know.

Slowly he stood up and began picking his cloths up off the floor. The room was cold, but he hardly noticed. His thoughts were elsewhere. Carefully he combed his hair and straightened his shirt. He had no idea if Kira had paid for the room or not. He had to assume she had because no one was around, and even if they were, his Norwegian was nonexistent.

Pulling his jacket on he stepped out on to the street and began to walk the few blocks back to the hotel where he and Jenny were staying. There was a biting wind and by the time he stepped inside again his face was numb. He walked up two flights of stairs and quietly unlocked the door.

Jenny had fallen asleep on the desk the night before with stacks of papers spread around her. She woke when Jethro opened the door.

"How'd it go?" she asked him, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Turned out to be a dead end," he said with a shrug.

"That's okay," she said looking slightly pleased with herself, "I think I found something."

"What did you find?" he asked moving across the room so he could look over her shoulder at the papers spread across the desk.

"Does that look like a money trail to you?" she asked him pointing to a piece of paper in front of her. She had covered the page in annotations and circles, making the pattern apparent.

"It does," he agreed, "Where does it lead?"

"I'm not quite sure yet," she replied shaking her head, "I was trying to figure that out last night, but I fell asleep."

"How late were you up?" he asked, his concern was automatic.

She smiled. She would never admit it to him, but she like that he was concerned about little things like that. It meant he cared. "I don't know," she replied, "I got caught up with work. I'm sure you know the feeling."

He smiled back at her. "Yeah," he said, "I do."

"I'll keep working on it," she told him, "you sure your lead isn't going to pan out?"

"Yeah," he replied, "it was nothing but a dead end."

He hated lying to her, but telling her the truth would have been worse. He could not stand to see the heartbreak in her eyes, not now, not ever.

_**To be honest I am not entirely sure where this plot arc is going, but it's interesting so I'm going to see where it goes. Please review. I really appreciate it.**_


	32. Strong

_**Right so a silly as this is going to sound I forgot it was Sunday…I looked up this morning and went "it's Wednesday…I forgot to put up a new chapter of Wine and Water…Whoops…" Anyway…I'll put this up late, but I hope to have the next one up on time…sorry about that…Enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: Not mine.**_

_**Spoilers: None**_

It was late when they finally arrived in Norway because they had ended up missing their plane out of Serbia and had had to wait hours for another one with room on it. The lateness of their arrival forced them to check into a hotel, and once they got there, Paula and McGee disappeared into their room and fell asleep almost immediately. Jenny and Gibbs however did not.

Jenny sat down on the bed in room she shared with Gibbs and looked up at him. "We need to talk," she said after a few moments.

"I know," he told her.

"So Kira followed us, followed you, to Oslo," she asked, with no hint of anger in her voice.

"Yes," he replied.

"And you met with her?" she questioned.

"Yes," he told her, and then added, "she was the contact I went see that night. She told me she had some new information for me."

"But she didn't," Jenny said. It was not a question, or even an accusation, she remembered that morning many years before when Gibbs had returned to the hotel without any new information.

"No," he confirmed, "she didn't."

"Then what did she want?" Jenny asked.

"She wanted to runaway together," he replied. He wanted to look away from Jenny, to look anywhere else, so he would not see the look in her eyes, but he forced himself to watch her, knowing that he deserved it and knowing that she deserved him looking her in the face as he told her the truth.

"You told her no?" she said, but this time it really was a question not a statement.

"Of course I told her no," he said quickly, but her raised eyebrow reminded him that she could not long just assume that. "I told her I had people I couldn't let down," he explained, "told her I could not walk away from the job."

Jenny looked at him. He wanted to say that it was really about leaving her, that he could not bear to do it, but he did not want to lie to her again. It was true that he had not wanted to walk away from her, but it had not just been about her, not then.

"So you walked away from her?" she asked. In her heart she knew the answer. If he had walked away from Kira at that moment, he would not have returned to the hotel room the next morning, and if he had walked away then, he would not have lied to her.

"No," Gibbs said quietly. He was finding it harder than he could have ever imagined to tell Jenny all of this. "I stayed."

"Why?" Jenny asked him, and for the first time he really saw the hurt in her eyes.

"I don't know," he replied honestly, "I told myself I had to keep my cover with Kira intact." The look she gave him let him know that she too thought that explanation was bullshit. "I think it had more to do," he paused, "I loved you, I still love you, in a way that I've never loved anybody except Shannon, and that scared me. I thought if I loved you like I loved her, it was like I was cheating on her."

"You weren't," she said quietly. She refrained from saying anything else because she wanted to give him the chance to explain.

"I know that now," he said, "I knew that the moment I woke that morning. Loving you is not cheating on Shannon, but sleeping with Kira was cheating on you, and I'm sorry."

Jenny looked up at the ceiling. She had known that it was coming, but actually hearing Gibbs admit to sleeping with Kira still hurt. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, then she swallowed hard and looked back at Gibbs.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" she asked him.

"Because I didn't want to lose you," he said without hesitation, "and I didn't want to hurt you, and I thought you'd never have to know."

"You're not going to lose me," she said finally.

"But you're mad at me," he said. It was an uncharacteristic observation.

"No," she replied shaking her head slightly, "I'm not." He looked at her not quite understanding. "Am I hurt?" she asked rhetorically, "Yes. Am I angry? No. Jethro it was twelve years ago, and while back then I would have been furious, it seems like a long time ago, and I'm not going to throw away what we have now, just because you made a mistake back then. We are both different people now."

"I love you," he told her quietly. It seemed strange for the words to be said out loud, usually they were simply implied.

"I know," she said, understanding why he had chosen to say those words, "Because Kira walked away, and I walked away. You never tried to win her back, but you risked everything for me."

"Jenny," he told her, letting her name slide off his tongue because it comforted him to do so. "I really am sorry about everything."

She looked at him for a moment. She knew how rare it was for Gibbs to apologize, everybody at NCIS did. Still she had not been lying when she said she was hurt. If she was honest with herself, she was not only hurt, she was scared and exhausted and tired of fighting what seemed like an up hill battle. Of course not all of that was Gibbs' fault, and none of it was avoidable at the moment.

She let herself walk into his arms, and he held her tightly. She looked over his shoulder out the window, and two solitary tears fell down her cheeks, but she wiped them away so he would not see them.

She needed him to believe that she was strong, because if he did not believe that, how could she ever believe herself?

_**Please review. I know somebody out there loves these two just as much as I do… Thanks.**_


	33. Far Apart

_**Chapter 33 as promised. Enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: Not mine**_

_**Spoilers: None**_

_**Also...A shout out to Left my heart in Paris...for reviewing every chapter since I've been back. You rock!**_

Abby was sitting at her desk in her lab poking at her lunch. She was bored, but that was coming to not be much of a surprise. She wished that she had been able to go to Europe with the others. Of course that was never a possibility. She was needed in D.C. because nobody could do what she did, but that was only a small comfort. She missed the others.

As if he had read her mind, there was a knock on her door. Abby turned around to see Ducky standing there holding up a Caf-Pow. She smiled at him and gestured from him to come in.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I thought you might like some company," he said giving her a knowing smile.

"Thanks," she said cheerfully, taking the cup he offered her.

"It is beginning to feel rather lonely around here," he remarked, "isn't it."

"I know," she said, "I miss them so much. I just want them to come home."

"There we are in agreement, my dear," Ducky said sitting down next to her and patting her knee, "and I am sure they wish to return as well."

"They don't call," she complained, "McGee e-mails me day or two, but they are never very long. We've only gotten to video chat once."

"They miss you," he assured him, "I suspect Timothy especially struggles with the distance, but he knows every time he contacts you, he takes a risk. Still for him it appears to be a risk worth taking." Ducky smiled and pointed to Abby's computer, which she had her back to.

Turning around Abby saw McGee's face on the screen with a message asking her if she was available to video chat. Grinning widely she clicked yes, and a few moment's later McGee's face popped up on the screen.

"Hey," he said with a soft smile, and Abby could not help but notice that he looked exhausted.

"Hi," she said cheerfully, her previous complaints all forgotten.

"Hello Timothy," Ducky greeted the young man cheerfully peering over Abby's shoulder.

"Oh," McGee said a little surprised. He had not noticed Ducky at first. "Hey Ducky."

"So why are you calling?" Abby asked.

"We wanted to talk to you guys," McGee said, "hang on." He turned around and gestured to somebody Abby and Ducky could not see. A moment latter Paula's face appeared as she sat down next to McGee.

"Hello Abby," she greeted them, "Hello Ducky." They both nodded their welcome.

"So how are things?" Abby asked excitedly, happy for any news.

Paula and McGee exchanged a looked. "They aren't great," McGee said finally as both looked back at the screen.

"What do mean?" Abby asked.

"This is the sixth city we've been to," McGee explained, "and I think everybody's starting feel like we're running in circles."

"Not that anyone will say that," Paula said.

"I think Ziva already did," McGee said quietly, not quiet meeting Abby's eyes. He knew Abby would be upset about Ziva taking off on her own, but he also knew that she would want to know. That was part of the reason he had wanted to video chat with her.

"What did Ziva do?" Abby asked instantly. She could sense that there was something amiss and that worried her, especially because it was Ziva.

"She took off on her own," he said, "When we were asleep the last night in Serbia, she took off because she wanted to get a step ahead of the kidnappers instead of feeling two steps behind."

"She's all alone?" Abby asked worriedly.

"Tony's going after her," McGee tried to reassure her.

"You're splitting up?" she demanded. That seemed like the last thing the team should be doing right now.

"I think it may be a good thing right now," Paula admitted, "This whole thing, it's about what Gibbs and Jenny did in Europe in the late nineties. None of the rest of us are really doing anything, which can be pretty frustrating. Tony and Ziva both were starting to really get annoyed. Getting away will probably be good for them."

"But what if they get hurt," Abby asked.

"They can take care of themselves," Paula said.

"But these people—" Abby began to protest.

"They won't go after Tony or Ziva," McGee said, "Paula's right. This is about Jenny and Gibbs. Tony and Ziva are irrelevant to whoever is doing this."

"What about Kate and Ethan?" Abby asked, "they took them."

"They did," McGee conceded, deciding that ending the conversation was better than discussing the Ethan-and-Kate-as-bate theory because Abby would like that even less.

"I think perhaps Agent Cassidy may have a point," Ducky said speaking for the first time in several minutes, "Too much time together can be stressful under the best of circumstances, and these are by no means the best of circumstances." There was a small pause as they all considered that. Then Ducky spoke again. "Well I must be on my way, I believe a have a new guest waiting for me downstairs."

They all wave to Ducky as he disappeared, and then Abby turned back to the screen. Paula sensed that the other two wanted to be alone.

"I have to go," she said, searching for some pretense and finding none, "be somewhere that is not here." With that she stood up, making her exit far less gracefully that Ducky.

"I miss you," McGee said quietly once they were alone.

"I miss you too," Abby told him. "Where are you now?"

"I can't tell you," he said regretfully, "Just in case this feed got hacked."

"I understand," she said, glancing at her watch, "you are probably tired."

McGee shrugged. "I work for Gibbs," he reminded her, "I'm always tired."

She laughed. "You should get some sleep," she told him, "stay sharp. Solve the case. Then you can all come home."

"Believe me," he told her, "there is nothing I would like more." To say he missed her seemed inadequate, what he felt was a deep biting pain in his heart. It was the overwhelming desire to be near her, to hold her, mixed with the knowledge that he could not. He found it difficult to describe because he had never felt it for anyone before. "I love you," he said finally.

"I love you too," she replied, with that same painful longing in her chest.

_**Thought I would throw in some of the characters we had not seen in a while. I felt bad because McGee and Abby are so far apart. Please review.**_


	34. Unlikely Help

_**I was on vacation last week so I didn't get a chapter up…that probably also had something to do with having writer's block on this chapter but watching the first eight episodes of season two fixed that…anyway…Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Not my characters**_

_**Spoilers: None**_

Tony was still pissed off, actually if anything he was even more pissed off now that he had been that morning. That had probably had something to do with the fact that he was sitting on a plane sandwiched between two elderly men both of whom could stand to lose a significant amount of weight, and the woman in front of him had reclined her seat into his lap. He wanted nothing more than to get off that plane.

Mentally he checked himself. That was not true. What he wanted more than anything else in the world was to have Ziva back beside him. He needed to know that she was safe and that they still had time to work things out. It had been rough between them lately, and if anything were to happen to her before he got a chance to make things right he would never forgive himself.

Suddenly he felt guilty, not because he cared for Ziva, but because for a brief moment he had forgotten entirely about Kate and Ethan. Some small, logical part of him knew that Ziva was probably fine, and she would snap at him for coming after her. The dangers she would face were probably largely in his own head, but Ethan and Kate really were out there fighting for every breath, wondering if they would ever get to see sunlight again.

He realized too, how much he missed Kate and Ethan. To say those words out loud would sound strange to anyone outside the team but to them he believe it would make sense. After all there had been very little time in which to think about anything but finding Kate and Ethan. The team had launched into it without a moments hesitation or consideration.

Of course placed in the same position now they would do it all again, but that was not the point. The point was that there had never been much time to consider such an intangible concept as 'missing someone.' Still now that he had a chance to think about it, Tony realized that he missed both of them very much.

He missed Kate because, well missing Kate had almost become a habit in the years after she 'died.' A day did not go by without him thinking of her because she was his best friend, and in some ways the only person who had ever truly understood him. Ethan, of course, was Ziva's brother, but Tony had grown rather fond of the man. Well he had grown fond of him after the initial terror created by Ethan's quiet explanation of exactly what would happen to Tony should he break Ziva's heart or hurt her in any other way.

Of course Ethan's threat had been meaningless to Tony. He would rather die than hurt Ziva. He would do anything for her, but right now he had no idea how he was supposed to help her. Everyone else seemed to believe he had some sort of Ziva locating super power, but he did not. Especially not in a city he did not know.

By the time he got off the plane he was still searching for answer. He could not call her. She had left her cell phone behind. He wanted to ask someone for advice, but Jenny thought he did not need it, Abby would chastise him, McGee would be useless, and the idea of asking Gibbs was laughable. Then something occurred to him. It was crazy, but he was getting desperate.

Pulling out his cell phone he dialed her number and found himself relieved when she answered on the second ring. "What do you want Tony?" she demanded.

"I need your advice," he told her.

"Me?" she asked surprised.

"Look Paula," he said running his fingers though his hair, "I need help, and you're the only person I can think of to call."

Normally Paula would have made a barbed comment in response to that statement, something about her being a last resort, but under the circumstances that seemed wrong.

"What do you need?" she asked him.

"I need help," he said sounding almost helpless. "I have no idea how to find Ziva."

"Yes, you do," Paula told him quietly.

"People keep telling me that," Tony said angrily, "but it's not true. I don't know if she even wants to be with me. She was so angry. That's always how it ends."

"Always?" Paula asked, with a raised eyebrow he could not see.

"You," he said, "Jeanne. The relationships where I actually…" he paused for a moment, "care. What if this is the same?"

"It's not," Paula told him, making a mental note to talk to him about the way their relationship had ended.

"How do you know?" He no longer sounded angry. He sounded desperate again.

"Because I don't know about Jeanne," she told him calmly, "but when I walked away, you just stood there and watched."

"I'm sorry," he started.

"Not my point," she started, shaking her head even though he could not see her. "My point is that if you had tried to stop me it would have changed things because I would have known you really cared."

"I don't—" Tony started again.

"You didn't just watch Ziva walk away," Paula told him, "you followed her to Stockholm. That makes this time different, and that same part of you that followed her, is the part of you that knows how to find her."

"But I don't know Stockholm," he protested.

"You don't have to," she replied, "You know Ziva. You don't need to know the city. All cities are, on some level, fundamentally the same. How would you find her in Washington?"

A thought hit Tony out of the blue, and suddenly he understood why everyone had believed he could find Ziva. He believed it too now because he knew exactly where to start looking.

"Thank you," he told Paula.

"Happy to help," she replied, "now go find her."

Tony nodded, and though Paula could not see him, she knew. Instinctively she knew, and so she smiled as the phone line disconnected. She just hoped that they were as close to finding Kate and Ethan as Tony was to finding Ziva.

_**Hope you liked it. Please review.**_


	35. Reflecting Pool

_**This took far too long to get up, and I am sorry. School has started and I have very little time to write, but I am NOT abandoning this story again. Promise. Enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: Not mine**_

_**Spoilers: None**_

Ziva was sitting alone in a small courtyard staring idly over a reflecting pond. It had been a long time since she had been to this place. In fact, it seemed a lifetime ago, but then in a way it was. So many years had passed, and so much had changed in those years that the long ago visit could well have been from another life.

As she stared at the water, the years seemed to perform a flurried backwards dance. Regressing until she was barely an adult, sitting there laughing with her baby sister who, though neither knew it then, would never live to see her eighteenth birthday. There was laughter in the air that day, and Ziva could almost hear it again…almost. It had been a very long time.

"Ziva."

She heard her name, and for a moment, she was confused because she did not know who was speaking. Then she remembered where she was, and that her sister was long dead. Slowly she turned to face the speaker, and she was shocked to see Tony standing there.

"Tony," she said, her voice softer than usual, "How did you find me?"

"At first I thought I would never be able to," he told her, "Stockholm's a pretty big city after all, but then I remembered this picture you showed me once of you and Tali sitting in a courtyard by a reflecting pool. I asked the first person I found who happened to speak English, and she said that it might be this hotel."

"You remember that picture?" Ziva asked surprised. He had found it in her desk years ago, and she had whipped it away from him as soon as she saw he had it.

"Of course I do," he replied quietly, "It's the only time I've every seen you look truly happy."

She shook her head. "I was happy then," she told him slightly evasively, "but I've been happy since."

"Not like that," he said shaking his head, "not that I've ever seen."

She sighed. In the past few years Tony had grown much more perceptive, and while she appreciated it, it made it much hard for her to conceal things. "That photo was taken in this courtyard," Ziva explained, realizing as she did so that she was tired of hiding things, tired of hiding her emotions, "I had brought Tali to Stockholm for her sixteenth birthday, and we were staying here."

Tony felt a knot form in the bottom of his stomach. He knew that Tali had been killed in a suicide bombing when she was sixteen, but Ziva never talked about it.

"She was killed two weeks after we returned home." She looked down at her hands, no longer able to look him in the eye. "She was my whole world. I loved her more than anything, but I could not save her."

"Ziva," Tony said softly, moving across the courtyard to sit next to her on the bench.

"I failed to save her. I killed my own half brother. Now I am powerless to save the one sibling I have left," she told him, sounding almost defeated. Instinctively, Tony took her hand in his, and for the first time in months she did not shake him off.

"That's why you've been so upset," Tony said, finally beginning to understand, "You want to save them, and there's not a damn thing we can do to help. I get it."

"You do not get it," she told him a little bitterly, "you have never lost a sibling."

"I lost Kate," he reminded her, "and I have always considered her a sister."

"You got her back," Ziva reminded him, "I'll never see Tali again."

"I didn't know I would ever see Kate again," he pointed out, "and the idea of losing her again scares me just as much as the idea of losing Ethan scares you."

"It is not the same. He is my blood," she said, and she did not know why, but she could feel the anger rising in her stomach. It was a feeling she had become all too familiar with in recent weeks, but she found she could not control it.

"Don't," Tony said, quietly. Exhaustion and stress were wearing on him too.

"Don't what?" Ziva asked. Now she was looking for a fight.

"Don't imply that because Kate and I don't share blood, that she is any less important to me than Ethan is to you," he told her, "blood doesn't make a family. You should know that by now."

It was unintentional, but the comment stung Ziva. Part of her knew that Tony had not intended to remind Ziva of her own fractured family of blood relatives, but the other part of her did not care. "Leave," she told him, her voice filled with icy anger.

"What?" Tony asked surprised.

"Leave," she repeated more loudly, pulling her hand away from his.

"Ziva," he started to protest.

"Now" she told him.

"Okay," he said, standing up in surrender. He understood now what Jenny seemed to have known before. Ziva was lost and angry. She wanted to push everyone away and prove she could save the world, but she could not. She was only human after all. There would come a time when she needed a shoulder to lean on, but that day would take time. "I'm going to leave, but I'm not leaving town. I'm not leaving you," he told her, "and if a day comes when you need me, I will be here for you."

"Why?" she asked him, a little hostile.

He looked at her and sighed. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go, but that was not what she needed right now. So instead he looked at her, and his gaze was steady.

"Because I love you," he told her, "and because I always will."

With that Tony turned and left the courtyard, and Ziva was once again alone and gazing into the reflecting pond.

_**Hope you enjoyed it…I'm honestly not sure how I felt about it. I have the next one up as soon as I possibly can… Please review.**_


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